DalleyEASTWOOD PARK Gardens, the residential community that has seen an influx of businesses over many years to the chagrin of its residents, many of them senior citizens, will be re-zoned under the Kingston Development Order.
A new development order for Kingston and St. Andrew should be in place within nine months, Land and Environment Minister, Horace Dalley, told Parliament last Tuesday.
He said the re-zoning of East-wood Park Gardens had become necessary to facilitate mixed uses and higher residential densities. To this end, the Ministry and its agencies will, as of now, be reviewing town centres periodically, with a view to re-zoning them to fit the needs of the population.
The complaints from the residents of Eastwood Park have been numerous over the years. Recently, a delegation from the community was admitted to Parliament to hear Member of Parliament for the area, Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, speak to the issue. He was making his contribution to a debate based on a resolution brought by Central Kingston MP, Ronald Thwaites, which addressed the issue of non-conforming use in residential areas.
In announcing the re-zoning of the area, Mr. Dalley stressed that businesses like garages, those of an industrial nature and go-go clubs would not be tolerated.
The Land and Environment Minister pointed to areas such as Cargill Lands, Patrick Gardens and Richmond Park as experiencing a proliferation of planning breaches and requiring "urgent attention" from a planning
perspective.
The Corporate Areas of Kingston and St. Andrew, Santa Cruz in St. Elizabeth, Old Harbour and Spanish Town in St. Catherine, Montego Bay, St. James and May Pen, Clarendon have been identified as priority locations.
With the 1965 Kingston Development Order out of touch with the reality of today, a number of agencies are to combine to prepare a sustainable development plan for the Corporate Area. These are the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the Parish Development Committee among others. They are expected to come up with a new development order for Kingston and St. Andrew within the next nine months.
The Town and Country Planning Act will be amended to allow enforcement notices to be served on the occupier of the premises found to be in breach of the development order and not on the owner. The Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) has had difficulty over the years locating the owners. After 12 years, those found in breach cannot be evicted.
