The Community Plan for St. David???s to Six Roads could be in place by year-end.
Executive Director of Open Plan, Steve Kemp, one of the consultants, said he was hopeful the plan for the area could be completed and put in place by then.
He made the comments to the media after a community meeting last evening to discuss the draft Community Plan at Princess Margaret Secondary School.
However, Mr. Kemp, who described the meeting as ???useful and informative???, stated that he and the other consultants would have to reflect on what was said; look at any comments they might receive; and then ???go to another level of detail??? in looking at some of the matters raised.
???For instance, [we will have to examine] the issue about livestock farming and how that should be dealt with, and issues to do with the standards to be applied for new residential and other developments. So, it is putting details now to the principles,??? he explained.
He pointed out that the Community Plan looked at the St. David???s to Six Roads area and its need for development to support residents and the issues relating to agriculture.
Mr. Kemp identified two zones ??? the Agricultural Priority Zone and the Sustainable Rural Development Zone ??? which were created. He noted that the emphasis of the Agricultural Priority Zone would be on having only very limited development and making sure that the measures were put in place for agriculture to thrive.
???The Sustainable Rural Development Zone is an area where there is already quite a lot of development that has taken place in the last decade or so and where there is a need to get better facilities for residents. So, we are looking to see how that can be done and whether there is also some scope for further development which may help to deliver those better facilities,??? he said.
Mr. Kemp stated that the consultants had engaged in numerous discussions, examined various statistics and looked at planning permission that had already been granted before they created the framework for development which sought to balance all competing interests.
During the robust discussions, residents from the areas expressed their views on certain aspects of the draft Community Plan and made suggestions for its improvement. Mr. Kemp said that even though last evening???s meeting was smaller than last year???s, there was a lot of detailed discussion by those attending the meeting, which was important to the consultants.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb