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  by pltm
• Jul 18, 2017
• 0

(PLTM) - An old issue has made its way back to the forefront of the community, as persons, including Deputy Governor Mrs. Rosalie Adams, highlighted the negligence of land usage in the British Virgin Islands, and the practicality of zoning laws being instituted as a viable solution.

Speaking at a recent town hall meeting on the enVIsion 2040 project, Mrs. Adams stressed that a thorough research and discussion is needed on the matter.

The issue of improper land usage continues to expand negatively, Mrs. Adams said, adding that efforts to address the matter are long overdue.

“For quite a number of years, we have been speaking about zoning and we haven’t made any strides in that direction.”

She continued, “It is not easy when you see how the land is being used, where a hotel might be erected in a certain area, and then not far down the road, you might see a couple of cattle sheds or loud bars making quite a bit of noise.”

Adding to this issue, she noted that the setup of bars and nightclubs in residential areas is a major problem faced by local residents, who are not able to rest properly in the evenings and early mornings.

For the matter to be addressed, the community has to do its part, the Deputy Governor said.

“It is high time for us to begin to focus heavily on using the spaces that we have. If it is left unattended, what is going to happen is that we are going to have confusion, and sooner or later, people are going to become aggressive, because when things are not going properly, they are going to take matters into their own hands.”

She said, “The land use should be carefully reviewed and soon, we should come up with a plan for zoning.”

Notably, the matter of zoning has been up for discussion among locals and legislators for quite some time. In 2010, zoning became a hot topic and a promoted solution when the community was in an uproar about noise coming from nightclubs in the Road Town area.

In 2016, Chief Planner at the Town and Country Planning Department, Mr. Gregory Adams told the legislators that although there was consideration for zoning in the Territory’s National Plan, zoning cannot be considered until a plan regarding land use is considered as well.