PHILIPSBURG--Work on the first cluster of areas to be zoned as part of the overall zoning plan for St. Maarten continues and government expects that a draft for the zoning plans for the hillsides conservation area can be submitted and placed for public scrutiny in the month of November.
This all forms part of the NAf. 2 million project that Minister Theo Heyliger signed with Dutch funding agency USONA in late 2009 to realize the development of a zoning plan for St. Maarten. Sixteen years in the making, the plan will regulate the way land is allowed to be used and steer development that properly befits each respective area.
The intention of the zoning ordinance of 1993 was to zone the entire Dutch side. Sixteen years later the only zoning plan government has is for Fort Amsterdam.
In an invited comment, acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Louis Brown said details for the hillside areas will be given at a later date and explained that the overall zoning assignment has been awarded to the firm Royal Haskoning in cooperation with Island Design based on Cura�ao. The assignment entails the preparation of zoning plans for St. Maarten, consisting of about 12 zoning plans in 4 clusters. The general public will get the opportunity to offer input on the plans via several public consultations.
Regarding concerns that might arise from the general public about existing and future requests for building permits, Brown said the issue of people wanting to build in areas where there are preparatory resolutions in place is relatively commonplace.
"In some cases, if the proposed building plans do not conflict with the development/zoning plans in preparation, the permits can be granted and persons can be allowed to build. In some cases the plans may conflict with the development plans in preparation," Brown said.
"In such cases the Government cannot reject or deny the plans, but these are to be put on hold pending the outcome of the development plans. In the preparation of the plans, these plans will be taken into consideration and where feasible incorporated into the draft development plans. The final decision pertaining to the development plans is to be taken by the Parliament, after the public consultations and the submission by the Government for approval. In other words: plans cannot be denied because they do not conform to the zoning plans that are in preparation," Brown concluded.
Recognizing that such a plan cannot be finalized without the input of the community, Heyliger assured and implored the general public to contribute with open sessions that are held to discuss the plan.
"This is not something we can do alone. The public will have to contribute and share ideas about how they would want to see the island developed. The public will get ample opportunities to offer input. I think this plan is good for St. Maarten and we are moving in the right direction as we move towards country status," Heyliger said in 2009 when he was Commissioner.
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