New development order for Kingston to spur 'compact' growth
Published:Wednesday | October 13, 2010 | 12:00 AM
The Kingston and St Andrew (KSA) area of Jamaica is one step closer to having a development order promulgated, with the start of public consultations on the draft order, which provides, among other things, for additional multi-family residential development and more commercial zones in the capital.
National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which is overseeing the process, said the order will be conducive to land banking projects which help with city planning,
The development order, which has been eight years in the making, is now making the rounds in town hall discussions, the most recent of which was held in the New Kingston business district, one of 19 zones designated for development planning.
The KSA draft development order aims to discourage urban sprawl, create better land use patterns, improve transport options, reduce the cost of delivering public services, and facilitate the more efficient use of urban lands, services and utilities.
Areas within the KSA which have been identified for higher residential density include
The areas were selected, the draft document notes, because of their central location, access to major transport routes and arterial roads, relatively flat well drained terrain,
The New Kingston area, for example, is largely used for commercial purposes, especially offices, parking and hotel properties.
However, NEPA's development strategy for the area includes the preservation of residences, and the encouragement of the merger of residential
Increased penalties proposed
The area can take higher a density, NEPA officials said, while adequately satisfying the need for open spaces and other amenities.
The draft order proposes increased penalties for illegal uses and fees for the retention of land use. It also includes a requirement for public consultations in the case of applications for land use changes.
The draft KSA order makes provisions too for better infrastructure, utilities, transport and green areas.
The move towards a development order for the Corporate Area grew out of a 2002 directive from the then Minister of Land and the Environment for studies to be undertaken of land use in the KSA. The directive came against the background of concerns that some areas were under pressure from non-residential development.
After the current consultations are over, the development order still has several other steps before it becomes a binding legal document.
The draft goes to the chief parliamentary counsel for review, then published, indicating locations where it can be accessed for review by the public.
Objections to its provisions should be made in writing to the planning authority.
Those with the right to object include local planning authorities such as the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation; land owners; lessees of more than three years; and individuals or entities with water rights.