The following letter was sent to me by the group representing citizens' associations in Kingston:
An Open letter to Prime Minister Holness
For Immediate
release December 6, 2022
The Most Hon Andrew Holness, Prime
Minister
1
Devon Road Kingston 10
Dear Prime Minister Holness,
The
CRC calls for No
Confirmation Without Consultation on the Impact and lessons of the 2017
Provisional
Development Order (PDO) for Kingston and St. Andrew (KSA)
As you are aware, the 2017 Provisional Development Order
(PDO) for Kingston & St. Andrew increased heights and the allowable number
of habitable rooms (i.e. more people that can be accommodated) in a given space
for new housing developments. It also allows more mixed use - residential and
commercial, in areas that were formerly mostly residential.
As a result several communities have had an explosion in
multi storey, residential development and commercial activity. The volume and
pace are far ahead of the capacity of the KSAMC and other agencies to ensure
compliance with Building and Planning Laws. This is resulting in widespread
breaches.
Many negative impacts are being experienced. These include
increased traffic and noise levels, less green space; loss of privacy, blocked
natural air flow and light for neighbouring single family dwellings; increased
run-off from paved surfaces adding to more flooding, more garbage but limited
collection, more pressure on inadequate water supplies, more sewage and water
costs for older residents and others on limited fixed incomes, and high,
speculative demand that is driving property costs out of the reach of most city
dwellers.
Five years is a good time to pause, properly assess and
amend the Order where necessary.
However, you have said publicly Prime Minister, that
Confirmation of the 2017 Order is imminent and on November 30, 2022 the CEO of
the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) advised a meeting of
Parliament's Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee that the PDO
will be confirmed before the end of the year, that is, in December 2022.
Citizens Rights to the City (CRC)
comprised of representatives of citizens associations and individual residents
of 29 communities, is calling for no
confirmation without consultation on the PDO, for such consultation to be part
of a process of evaluating its impact and lessons learned and for necessary
amendments to be made based on the findings and recommendations of such a
process.
We call for a range of consultative processes – including,
for example, town hall meetings and a Joint Select Committee of Parliament that
invites public submissions and considers recent reports such
as a NEPA Advisory Committee’s “KSAMA Height and Density Report” dated
06.02.2019).
The CRC also calls on you Prime Minister to urge governing
party MP Heroy Clarke, Chairman of the
Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee of
Parliament, to urgently reconvene the Committee which met on November 30, 2022
after not meeting for a year, but did not invite the network of community
groups to speak to their submission first made to it in November 2021. CRC
calls for urgent attention to that submission that addresses issues arising
from the 2017 PDO.
Prime Minister, to confirm the 2017 PDO without any public
consultation would be a travesty of the Government's stated commitment to
'citizen consultation' and transparent governance.
Assessing and understanding impact and learning the lessons
from the five years of implementation of the PDO can result in a Development
Order that better enables orderly, balanced, equitable development, more
inclusive, liveable, sustainable communities and a city geared towards a better
quality of life for all.
Signed:
Citizens
Rights to the City
________________________________________________________
Note:
It is very important that citizens who are a part of this group add their comments to the blog. Thanks.
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4 comments:
this is a serious matter of concern
Without a doubt your are on point and it's a reasonable ask. The zoning of a small island as Jamaica is not even talked about. Where are the agencies with oversight? - busy collecting money from investors to mitigate impact and trying to seem and stay relevant for the positions they hold. We have lost wetlands coastal reefs; watershed areas with millions of dollars paid over to NEPA. Cockpit country and that parcel of land at runaway Bay for mining are still fresh in my mind. The promised development of the drainage in Falmouth that should've taken place since the pier is still waiting to happen. Royalton Hotel in Trelawny has twice add room by dumping wetlands next to it but not without permit in hand.. We are tempting fate and disaster looms. Somethings can be better managed by listening and acting proactively. If only common sense could grow at the pace of the economy then perhaps just perhaps we could fare out a little better.
Indeed very serious
The missing element in all their plans for the city's development is common sense. The absence of common sense results in overlooking the impact of development on an already overburden sewage system, inadequate water supply, the inability to maintain these massive high rise buildings through collection of maintenance fees, etc.
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