Chief Town Planner, Mark Cummins. (FP)

Barbadians will soon have an opportunity to give valuable input into the island’s Physical Development Plan (PDP), which is currently being amended, during a series of community meetings.

The meetings, which will be hosted by the Town Planning Department and the consultants, will begin on Saturday, February 25, at the Princess Margaret Secondary School, Six Roads, St. Philip, at 3:00 p.m.

On Monday, February 27, a meeting will be held at The Alexandra School, Speightstown, St. Peter; and another will follow on Tuesday, February 28, at Queen’s College, Husbands, St. James. Both of these meetings will commence at 6:00 p.m.

There will be another discussion on Friday, March 3, at Queen’s Park Steel Shed, Bridgetown, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The final meeting will be held on Saturday, March 11, at Oistins, Bay Gardens, Christ Church, commencing at 3:00 p.m.  Free health checks will be provided at all the meetings.

In addition to giving an overview of the Draft Amendment to the PDP, officials of the Town Planning Department and the consultants will review relevant portions of the proposed community plans for the various areas, including Six Roads, Speightstown, Holetown, Bridgetown, Warrens, Wildey, Belleplaine, Bathsheba and Oistins.

The Draft Amendment to the PDP is now available on the Town Planning Department’s website at www.townplanning.gov.bb/pdp, and at the Town and Country Planning Department, Block C, The Garrison, St. Michael, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Written comments will be accepted through the website or they may be sent to the Town and Country Planning Department’s office by Wednesday, March 15.

Chief Town Planner, Mark Cummins, is urging the public to review the draft document and also attend and participate in the upcoming community meetings.

“We are encouraging the public to come out to the various sessions and make their contributions. Don’t wait until the plan comes into effect, realise it has brought about some changes to the community and then express regret that you did not make an input,” he stated.

Mr. Cummins explained that the PDP provides a vision for Barbados’ future growth and development by setting out policies to guide relationships among land uses, community facilities and physical infrastructure.

“Physical planning is undertaken in Barbados for the orderly and progressive development of land and for the preservation and improvement of related amenities,” he pointed out.

The Draft Amendment contains a number of policies which address issues related to Growth Management; Agricultural Preservation; Housing; Social and Community Facilities; Cultural Heritage; Environment/Green Economy; Economic Development; Tourism and Recreation; Transport; Resource Extraction; Climate Change and Renewable Energy.

These policies seek to inform and make sure that future development is sustainable, in order to ensure that there is resilience to climate change and the necessary adaptation strategies are put in place.

The PDP is being amended by a consortium of local, regional and international consultants, headed by Urban Strategies Inc., in association with Ecoisle Consulting Inc.

sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb

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