The processing time of building permits from when a valid application is received to a decision being issued by the planning department has risen “significantly” since 2019, the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce said.

The body said pipeline-to-shovel duration stands at about 34 weeks, a steep increase when compared with the pre-pandemic figure of 24 weeks, with the wait time sitting “entirely in statutory processing stages”.

The data was included in the chamber’s latest quarterly analysis of planning and building permit activity, to coincide with the Department of Planning's launch of its new online quarterly statistics resource.

A government spokesman said the resource, which is available to the public and industry stakeholders, demonstrates the department’s ongoing commitment to transparency, accessibility and evidence-based public information.

“It delivers measurable data on planning applications, permits, inspections and other operations, helping the public better understand development trends, and the volume of work the department processes,” he added.

The quarterly statistics — which cover data from 2023 onward — give an overview for planning application activity, building permit activity, inspections and certificates.

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, said: “Making this information publicly available on a consistent basis supports informed discussion and provides greater visibility into both departmental performance and wider industry trends.

“The Department of Planning is committed to improving access to planning-related data and ensuring the public has a clearer understanding of planning activity in Bermuda.”

While it welcomed the department's move to make the data resource available, the chamber urged the Government to add processing duration data to its new quarterly resource alongside application volumes.

Alex DeCouto, president of Greymane Construction and co-chairman of the Chamber of Commerce’s construction division, said the move “would make it a genuine performance dashboard rather than an activity report and would capture improvement as readily as it captures delay”.

Mr DeCouto said consistent, publicly available data on planning activity serves industry, investors and the public, adding: “We are glad to see the department publishing on a regular basis.”

He noted absence of the critical processing duration data, adding: “This is the dimension the construction industry, and contractors in particular, feel most directly.

“We are downstream of the approvals process; when it stretches out, it stretches our timelines and our costs.”

He said Permitted Development Permit applications, or PDPs, are designed as the fast lane for minor works as their issuance bypass the planning board.

However, the chamber said: “The PDP fast-lane is no longer fast” as duration in their issuance is well above their published five-day target.

According to the body, the PDPs for residential purposes are now issued at around eight weeks while those for commercial purposes take around 18 weeks.

Mr DeCouto said while the chamber is not in a position to speak to the causes of the duration increases, “what we can say is that the consequences fall on contractors and their clients”.

“If the data we have assembled is useful to the department in making the case for the resources it needs, we are glad to share it.

Mr DeCouto added: “It is worth noting that it was mid February when the department was able to start outsourcing some review functions and our expectation is that Second Quarter data will illustrate the impact of this decision.”

On the flip side, Mr DeCouto said based on the available data, the “the picture is broadly positive” on investment appetite.

In the first quarter of this year, 186 permits were issued and the rate of building inspections indicate that the construction industry is converting new permission into active construction at pace.

Mr DeCouto said: “Application volumes are healthy, commencement inspections are running above their two-year average and the industry is actively converting permits to construction activity at a good rate. The pipeline is there.”

The chamber said building permit applications signal committed investment as applicants pay fees and commission drawings before applying.

In March, Mr Rabain told the House of Assembly that a surge in building applications which led to a backlog in the planning department was being impartially tackled by US-based firm SAFEbuilt LLC to skirt local conflicts of interest in a “short-term, targeted solution”.

Mr Rabain said local building permit officials dealt with 640 permits and 323 permit revisions last year, but were contending with applications “exceeding 1,200 annually”.

He said the volume of paperwork crossed with “increasingly inconsistent application submissions”, requiring multiple reviews, leading to to roadblocks that “frustrate both industry professionals and individual applicants”.