The Ministry of Local Development has banned the building of houses over two-stories tall until it comes with a new building code. The ministry has also put on hold the approval of new house designs for the same period.The ban will be effective until July 15, says the statement issued by the ministry.
It also states that no building permission will be issued until that time. The ministry decided to limit the houses to just two-storey after concluding that poor implementation of building code resulted in massive human casualties in recent earthquakes. The letter also asks the local authorities to put a stop to construction works of those buildings which have already sought approval for building design before the earthquake struck. Beginning next year, the Ministry has also mandated ensuring open space while plotting the land. It also warned of action against employees giving approval to the building designs that don't abide by the building code.
