Government is one step closer to having the Barbados Physical Development Plan (PDP) (2003) amended.
That is the word from Deputy Chief Town Planner, George Browne, who disclosed that a tender notice had been issued for technical and price proposals from competent consultants to revise the PDP, which is used as the main instrument to guide land use policy and planning.
Mr. Browne explained that interested consulting firms now have until Wednesday, October 29, to submit proposals to the Chairman of the Tenders Committee, in care of the Central Purchasing Department.
According to him, the objective of this exercise is to prepare a plan to guide the development of human settlements and to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of growth for the island. He pointed out that the PDP is one of the Town and Country Development Planning Office???s primary tools to assist in decision-making.
Emphasising the importance of modifying the Physical Development Plan (2003), Mr. Browne stated: ???The Government in its current, medium and long-term strategic plans has embraced the green economy concept. The green economy builds on the principles of sustainable development, to the extent that it conceptualises a transformation of production, which may help achieve the three pillars of sustainable development ??? environmental protection, social development and economic development.
???Given the dynamic nature of planning, the PDP must be amended every five years by law, hence, the need for its revision to chart the path of land use management for the next 10 years.???
He pointed out that the current Plan sets out in its introduction the vision for the future growth and development of the island through the provision of strategic policies, grounded within a framework of sustainable development.
According to him, it contains a number of policies which address issues related to Growth Management and Agricultural Preservation, Housing, Social and Community Facilities, Cultural Heritage, Environment and Economic Development, Tourism and Recreation, Transport and Resource Extraction.
Under the Town and Country Planning Act, the Chief Town Planner is required to carry out a new survey of the island and submit a report to the Minister who has responsibility for Town Planning matters. The current amended Plan came into operation in April 2008 and expired last year.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb