St Helena : St Helena: MOU Update Land Development Control Plan
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 23.09.2011 (Article Archived on 07.10.2011)
The draft revised Land Development Control Plan (LDCP) is now available for comment and public consultation. All areas of life on St Helena, from housing to heritage, will be influenced by land planning policies. This week we focus on INFRASTRUCTURE.
MOU Update Land Development Control Plan
The draft revised Land Development Control Plan (LDCP) is now available for comment and public consultation. All areas of life on St Helena, from housing to heritage, will be influenced by land planning policies. This week we focus on INFRASTRUCTURE.
What does the LDCP say about infrastructure?
The Plan recognises at every level the importance of infrastructure to enable development to go ahead.
All of the below areas are covered by policies in the Plan:
Infrastructure for the airport; energy generation and distribution; water supplies including water storage; sewerage and storm drainage; handling and disposal of solid waste including recycling; roads and transport; telecommunications including telephone, radio, television and internet; and social infrastructure.
What is the general rule for the development of infrastructure?
The general rule is that essential infrastructure will be permitted, so that development can go ahead. On the other hand development will not be permitted without the necessary infrastructure. There have been situations in the past where development has been permitted without for example the necessary roads, water supply and adequate sewerage. The Plan policies are designed to avoid this happening in the future.
Will development permission be granted for infrastructure in all three zones? (Coastal, Intermediate and Green Heartland)
Yes, development permission will be granted in all three zones but with appropriate safeguards.
In the Intermediate Zone the best engineering solution will generally be the main criterion for decision, but in the National Park, for example, the main criterion will be minimizing the impact on the landscape and its natural ecology so the engineering argument will have to be weighed against it. In the case of new roads, obviously roads need to be safe but minimizing their impact on the landscape and historic heritage is seen as more important than designing for free flow and speed of traffic. As in everything else in the Plan, striking the right balance is the aim.
What has changed with regards to infrastructure in the current draft from the previous LDCP?
Infrastructure has been considered in more detail and there is a much more positive slant to the policies, in order to take advantage of the opportunities for growth in the economy as a result of the airport. At the same time it is clear that the expectation that Government will provide all infrastructure in the future has to change; in future there will be far more opportunities whereby the development itself will fund much of its own infrastructure.
Will development permission be granted for any type of infrastructure?
The emphasis is on sustainability and in the case of energy to shift away from reliance on diesel towards wind and solar generation. On drainage and sewerage the emphasis is on separating storm water from sewage, to reduce the risk of significant pollution. On water the emphasis is on opening up the possibilities from deep boreholes rather than reliance on shallow boreholes and water courses. There is also emphasis on a green approach to all use of energy and services and higher standards of development to achieve it.
It says in the draft that development permission will be granted for all elements of infrastructure related to construction and operation of an airport. What happens if we are not given an airport?
The Plan makes the clear assumption that sooner or later and probably sooner rather than later the island will have its airport, and the policies have been worded to enable and assist it happening. If the airport does not happen immediately, the policies are still applicable and necessary but the development and growth of the island's economy will simply be slower.
Strategic Policy and Planning Unit
21st September 2011
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