Community Plan for St. David's to Six Cross Roads PUBLIC CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

Community Plan for St. David’s to Six Cross Roads PUBLIC CONSULTATION DOCUMENT Prepared by: www.ecoisle.com www.thinkopenplan.com CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 1 Planning for Sustainability.......................................................................... 1 Preparing the Community Plan.................................................................. 3 Using the Community Plan......................................................................... 4 2. KEY ISSUES........................................................................................ 5 Community needs and aspirations............................................................. 5 Agricultural Land Supply and Demand....................................................... 5 Population Change and Housing................................................................. 7 Strategic Economic Development............................................................... 8 Transport and Accessibility.......................................................................... 9 Integrated Water Resource Management................................................... 16 Resilience to Hazards, Risks and Climate Change....................................... 10 Resource Efficiency and Conservation........................................................ 11 3. VISION............................................................................................... 12 4. OBJECTIVES....................................................................................... 12 5. SPATIAL STRATEGY............................................................................. 13 Overview of the Community Plan’s approach to development.................. 13 Spatial Planning Zones................................................................................ 15 Core Spatial Development Policies..............................................................15 6. POLICIES AND GUIDANCE.................................................................. 17 7. NEXT STEPS: IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND REVIEW............ 41 8. ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED................................................. 41 Sustainability Appraisal............................................................................... 43 DEFINITIONS & END NOTES................................................................... 45 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This Community Plan provides a framework to guide development within Community Plans the area between Saint David’s, Christ Church to Six Cross Roads, Saint Philip The purposes of Community Plans are described in the National over a period of about ten (10) years. Social, cultural and economic needs Physical Development Plan, Amended, 2003, as being to: and aspirations of local people, businesses and other organisations have • identify opportunities for redevelopment, community been considered in preparing the Plan, as have national needs, objectives and improvement and resolution of land use conflicts or opportunities. infrastructure deficiencies in existing communities; 1.2 • ensure that new suburban areas are developed in a The Community Plan’s overarching purpose is to produce well-planned places rational and orderly fashion in conjunction with adequate that can support prosperous, healthy and resilient communities. This will infrastructure, community and park facilities, and commercial involve: and social amenities. • reconciling different – and sometimes competing - demands for the use [Physical Development Plan, Amended, 2003, section 2.1.2.2] and development of land; • balancing change and continuity; without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own • ensuring that development is matched by adequate infrastructure and needs”. service provision; • providing for development to support people’s social, economic and 1.4 physical well-being; That global definition was elaborated upon in Barbados’s National Physical Development Plan, Amended 2003, in which it is stated that sustainable • protecting the natural environment and ecosystems; development “requires a comprehensive, coordinated approach to planning, • reducing vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards; developing and managing all aspects of human settlements and the environment. Its aim is to support the rights of all persons to have access to a secure and • responding to the effects that climate change is expected to bring about. fulfilling life in harmony with the natural environment and available resources”. 1.5 Planning for Sustainability The National Physical Development Plan sets out a number of key principles for 1.3 pursuing sustainable development in Barbados, as outlined below1: In short, the Community Plan’s primary purpose is to provide a framework • emphasis on protecting the natural environment and cultural heritage for sustainable development. Probably the most frequently quoted definition resources; of sustainable development is this one from the 1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (also • establishment of criteria and procedures for Environmental Impact known as the Brundtland Report): Assessments; “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present • a national development strategy aiming to minimize the negative 1 1 Physical Development Plan, Amended 2003 - Extract from Section 1, pp. 1-3 & 1-4 centres and corridors and in key employment areas in a variety of locations The Community Plan Area throughout the island; The boundary of the Community Plan Area is shown in Plan 1. • maintenance of Central Bridgetown as the nation’s primary location for financial institutions, offices, shopping and other commercial activities; The Plan Area lies to the immediate north, east and west of the • promotion of the tourism industry by encouraging redevelopment and “Urban Corridor”, as designated in the Physical Development modernization of older beach front properties, and providing opportunities Plan. The designated “Six Cross Roads Regional Centre” adjoins for other visitor experiences in the National Park the north-east corner of the Community Plan Area, and Grantley Adams International Airport borders its south-east corner. 1.6 The area extends approximately 10 kilometres east/west and has Where relevant to development within the area covered by this Community an average north/south “depth” of about 4 kilometres, giving a Plan, those national principles have been taken fully in to account in formulating total area of around 4,000 hectares (just less than 10,000 acres) its strategy, proposals and policies. of mostly gently undulating land, taking in some 24 plantations. 1.7 Much of the land is farmland: some in productive agriculture, To ensure that this Community Plan contributes to sustainable (rather than some currently disused. unsustainable) development a method known as Integrated Sustainability Appraisal has been used at each stage of its preparation to test the extent to In addition to the sizeable rural settlement of Saint Patrick’s, which the vision, objectives, strategy, policies and allocations meet sustainability the area includes a number of small to moderate size dispersed objectives. The Integrated Sustainability Appraisal process and its relationship villages; some moderate to large modern planned residential to the Community Plan’s approach are explained further in Section 8 (page 43) developments; several institutional users; and industrial and light industrial land users, including numerous natural gas and oil wells. 1.8 There are also small clusters of commercial activities within the The strategic policy goals of the Physical Development Plan, Amended 2003, study area. have been reviewed for the purposes of preparing this Community Plan and It is estimated that 7,702 people live in the Community Plan area they are considered to remain relevant and appropriate. The objectives for now (2015) and they occupy 3,178 housing units. This equates sustainability used in the preparation of this plan are consistent with those to about 2.7% of the national population and 3.2% of Barbados’s strategic policy goals, which are quoted on page 3. housing stock. environmental and social impacts of scattered urban development, by concentrating new growth into a defined urban corridor; • protection of agricultural lands from incompatible urban development; • promotion of a strong, diversified economy through land use policies, which encourage a wide range of employment opportunities in mixed-use 2 1.9 Economic Development Strategic Policy Goals of the Physical Development Plan, Amended 2003 • To promote further diversification and expansion of the national economy, while at the same time promoting the efficient use of land and the protection Growth Management & Agricultural Preservation and conservation of significant natural and heritage features. • To guide and manage the growth of the nation in a manner which is • To assist in the achievement of national economic development goals by consistent with the principles of sustainable development and healthy ensuring that sufficient land is available to meet the needs of the various communities. economic sectors. • To protect and encourage the use of agricultural lands by maintaining and preserving the agricultural function of the rural areas. Preparing the Community Plan Housing 1.10 • To promote the improvement of housing conditions for the population of As illustrated in the process

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