|
The second Charette began today in Victoria, the capital city of the Seychelles, for the development of the Seychelles Strategic Plan. Stakeholders from Government agencies across the Seychelles attended the opening day which included a welcome address by Minister Christian Lionnet from the Ministry of Housing and Land Use.
Under the direction of the Abu Dhabi Leadership, the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) is providing technical assistance for the project, which began in May 2014.
The first Charrette, ‘Where Are We Now?’, resulted in a clear vision statement for the project and set out key principles and aspirations for the Seychelles through to 2040. Stakeholders explored growth potentials and helped identify the opportunities for the future development of the Seychelles to ensure a balance of development and economic growth against protection of the natural environment and the distinctive character of the islands.
The Seychelles Strategic Plan will cover all of the islands that comprise the Seychelles, with a particular focus on the main island of Mahé. A framework plan will be developed for Mahé and a detailed Master Plan will be developed for Victoria. The Strategic Plan will provide a blueprint for urban development and sustainable growth of the Seychelles over the next 25 years.
The week-long workshop, titled ‘What Does the Future Look Like?’, will assess the issues arising from the three growth scenarios that have been developed. A growth scenario takes into consideration elements including population, transport, development, tourism, community facilities, environment, agriculture and utilities. This assessment will lead to a preferred growth scenario that stakeholders will collectively prepare throughout the week.
The growth scenarios prepared for Mahé represent possible futures and provide a conceptual framework by which to analyse the pros and cons of different spatial approaches to delivering growth. A full assessment of these scenarios will take elements from each to create a preferred way forward.
Once agreed, the preferred growth scenario will provide clarity on the preferred locations for growth and the mix and proportion of land uses. The principles underpinning the preferred growth strategy will then be translated into the Seychelles Strategic Plan and the Mahé Framework Plan.
To ensure that there is valuable input from the community’s not-for-profit organisations and the private sector, who will be instrumental to delivering the Plan, they have also been invited to participate in Charette 2. This ensures cross-sectoral alignment on the Plan’s priorities to ensure effective delivery of the Plan at the implementation stage.
Amer Al Hammadi, Executive Manager for Planning and Infrastructure at the UPC, said: “The rigorous assessment and testing of the different growth scenarios, which includes consultation with the Seychelles stakeholders, is absolutely critical to the successful implementation of the Seychelles Strategic Plan.
“It forms part of a balanced approach which helps ensure that the future development of the Seychelles balances the need to achieve economic growth with the needs of the community.”
The next steps will see the key points of agreement and outputs fully assessed to ensure that the Plan targets the appropriate amount of development in the right location. The outputs of Charette 2 will feed directly into the Victoria Master Plan that will be the key topic for Charette 3.
As part of Phase 2 engagement, and immediately following the Charette, the Seychelles, with assistance from the UPC, will be undertaking community consultation through drop-in sessions throughout Mahé , LaDigue and Praslin.
The Plan will set out the urban development framework for the sustainable growth of the Seychelles over the next 25 years, and will address priorities for the nation such as; facilitating economic growth and diversification, protecting the environment by ensuring development is undertaken in appropriate locations and in a sustainable manner, appropriate allocation of land for residential and economic use, protecting the character and heritage of the Seychelles, and preserving and enhancing its social and cultural aspects, to ensure a high quality of life for all.
|
New
Review
Abu Dhabi International Airport - 41°F
