The updating of the 1954 law on land and country planning has long been called for by the private sector. The Joint Economic Council, for instance, has often stated that the red tape involved in obtaining permits is responsible for the decrease in productivity and competitiveness in Mauritius. This situation should soon change with new Planning and Development Bill meant to review and replace the ?archaic law? ? as prime minister Paul Bérenger calls it.

According to the Housing and Lands minister, Joe Lesjongard, who presented the new bill at a seminar last week, the 1954 legislation to promote a planned development was finally ?a legacy of rigid planning process, outdated legislation, long-term neglect and the stop-go economy.? The minister also explained that the government has been wanting to bring changes to that law since 2000.

The new Planning and Development Bill will actually be divided into three parts: the Morcellement Act, the Building Act and the Town and Country Planning Act. This should promote development but, above all, make administrative procedures easier and quicker. Permits for smaller projects will not be essential any more. This bill should encourage more local and foreign investors.

One-stop shop

The National Development Strategy, launched by the government last year, will be under a new authority: the National Planning and Development Commission. This commission, which will also include the private sector, will advise the government not only on the national development strategy but also on the consequences of economic changes on land use. It will also have its say in various important projects such as the Integrated Resorts Scheme, the Cybercity, the Light Railway and so on. Besides, the Strategic Planning and Implementation Unit will be set up as a one-stop shop to facilitate procedures.

Under the National Development Strategy, municipalities and district councils will get more power in the planning and control of local non strategic projects in line with national development strategy projects. Development, building and parceling out will be managed by one authority instead of needing the green light of three different ones under the 1954 law. Strict periods will also be set for granting or refusing permits.

Transparency will also be a feature of the new bill. If investors have to face a lawsuit, they will be able to go to a Planning Appeals Tribunal, which does not exist at the moment. The Town and Country Planning Board that nowadays deals with legal problems is both judge and party and this leads to ?obscure and partial? appeal procedures, according to minister Lesjongard.

Thanks to this new bill, investors should find their way back to Mauritius. But more important: a national planning strategy should be very positive for the Mauritian landscape. There has never been a real development philosophy and this has led to building in all directions. The rationale behind the bill, acording to the minister, is ?to preserve the island?s natural beauty.? Where it is still possible?