TOWN PLANNING
Tim Howick-Smith, Lami
A review of public notices posted by various municipal councils regarding land rezoning clearly indicates that in excess of 90 per cent involve rezoning from “Residential” to either “Commercial” or “Industrial/Heavy Industrial”.
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Surely enlightened Town and Country Planning should ensure that areas of towns designated as residential should be preserved as such, together with their surrounding environments, and not subject to the increasing incursion of, and destruction by, commercial and industrial activities.
As a resident of Lami I wonder how long the council will be able, in good faith, to maintain their billboards welcoming visitors to “The Garden Town”!
Inevitably this trend reduces the amount of available residential land.
This increases the cost of such land, making it even more unaffordable for people to buy or build their own homes.
At the same time the invasion of commercial/industrial activities into residential areas threatens the property values of homes in which people have invested their life’s savings.
Whenever one tries to preserve residential areas faced with the threat of commercial or industrial activities one is accused of being against “development and job creation”.
It is unfortunate that, despite whatever concerned members of the public may try to do to question such rezoning, the pressures of so called “developers” will inevitably and ultimately prevail.
We do not have to choose between economic development or residential areas and the environment.
Effective Town and Country Planning can contribute to both – by pursuing and practicing genuine “environmentally sustainable economic development”.
I have repeatedly suggested to the authorities concerned that they need to identify additional land outside residential areas to be devoted to commercial and/or industrial activities.
Such industrial zones/parks will be able to absorb the increasing need of existing and new companies to expand.
If developed using modern internationally recognised standards they can both facilitate efficient operations whilst at the same time enabling monitoring potential, and mitigating against, environmental hazards.
For many of us our residential homes are where we can relax, bring up our children in safety, enjoy our retirement and sleep in peace.
Our gardens are where we derive much-needed exercise, grow flowers and fresh food, and at least in some small way contribute to the preservation of the environment.
Many of us do not wish – or be able to afford - to move into the apartments that are mushrooming up in all over towns, that are devoid of a “community”, and where we are unlikely to get to know or care for our neighbours.
TIM HOWICK- SMITH is our second Letter of the Week winner for the month of November.
