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On Tuesday 22, 2019 the government continued with the review of the the Planning and Development Bill 2018. All agree that modern and relevant town planning laws are necessary to effectively and efficiently develop land space and related activity.

The average Barbadian can list any number of examples to show a lack of ‘planning’ because the system has been compromised due to political interference and corrupt practices. The blogmaster recalls the change in land use for a property in St. James under an Owen Arthur administration which benefited in the millions David Shorey and a few others. Let it be said the draft Bill addresses many other aspects of town planning.

The focus of this submission is the more visible signs that there is a lack of town planning being executed in Barbados.

Example 1

Traffic flow between the Graeme Hall and Kendall Roundabout has been effected by commercial development with the establishment of Popular Supermarket and other businesses in the area. Massy Supermarket is to be established in the area soon. The result is that on our major highway traffic is restricted to a crawl during business hours. Anyone intending to catch a flight at GAIA must avoid using that stretch of the highway if they want to be ontime.

Example 2

Traffic flow through the ‘Bussa’ roundabout is severely affected during business hours because of activity at the Sky Mall and other commercial businesses established in the area.

Example 3

Clearly the Warrens roundabout was redesigned as an afterthought given the explosion of commercial activity in the area in recent years. We know Warrens is a large residential area.

There are several other examples we could have cited to prove the point that our planners do not know what they are doing and or they are not being allowed to do the job.

If it is the latter we are perplexed why the professional associations they are members would not have voiced a public concern.

 

 

 

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83 responses to “Planning Unplugged”

  1. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    Not too sure where the author is going with this submission

    Is it saying that Owen Arthur and subsequent ministers who own the title of Minister in charge of town planning are able to have themselves and their proxies benefit disproportionately and dishonestly from this ministry?

    Or that “planning” to location of “access to said facilities” seems not to be the forté of said TCP ministry?

    Every single Sawh shop in Barbados is located on the corner of main tributaries in Barbados!!

    Eagle Hall, Tweedside Road and Bank Hall.

    That is the hallmark of all sensible businesses that merchandise physical products (and services e.g mechanics)

    So one can only extrapolate from this to say that this article is a protest against the roads that access and egress the said business places cause Massey nor Chefette going locate their property in the backside of Nelson Street or Baxters Road.

    And once the offending property has been approved LIKE THE ISLAND PROMONTORY THAT KILLED ABIJAH HOLDER, there is nothing that anyone can do about it until dem feel like changing it.

    WELCOME TO THE REALITY THAT IS BARBADOS

    ALL HAIL MUGABE!!!

  2. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David

    Are those examples of “bad” planning or are those a product of excess numbers of vehicles on the road? If people are taking the highway to get to Popular isn’t that better than taking a local road to get to the former Massey in Sargeants Village which was compounded by Sheraton half a mile away? I’m sure some of the traffic between Graeme Hall and Kendal Hill was formerly snaking along the aforementioned Sargeants Village all through Vauxhall. It is preferable to have businesses situated close to highways than the alternative.

    The best way to solve some of the traffic woes is by a robust, efficient public transit system coupled with change in school allocation which would direct students to secondary schools near where they reside but that may be a bridge too far…..
    BTW how come most elementary students go to school in their districts?

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    You maybe conflating the issues of poor planning and poor public transport.

  4. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David

    You introduced examples of traffic crawl as symptoms of poor planning, and poor public transport contributes to traffic crawl…….. .……

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    You are correct, it has contributed.

  6. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    PUDRYR

    You forgot a Sawh outlet is located at the junction of President Kennedy’s Drive and West Bury New Road.

  7. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    “If people are taking the highway to get to Popular isn’t that better than taking a local road to get to the former Massey in Sargeants Village which was compounded by Sheraton half a mile away?”

    Sargeant

    Interesting observation.

    Do you know that road works are in progress on Kendal Hill near the round-about?

    The road has been redesigned to accommodate the flow of traffic entering and exiting the new Massy supermarket that is to be constructed on the site opposite Trans-Tech Inc.

    Do you foresee a back-up of traffic at the roundabout, because vehicles travelling to Vauxhall via Kendal Hill (vice versa) will have to wait behind vehicles waiting to enter and exit Massy, which may also affect traffic travelling in the direction of Deighton Griffith Secondary School?

    Or perhaps we should wait to see how the newly designed road would affect traffic flow.

  8. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Is the minister for investment now the junior minister for planning?

  9. David Avatar
    David

    There is the botch planning job at Lancaster where the newest Chefette was given permission. Many more examples.

  10. Sir Simple Simon, P.C. Avatar
    Sir Simple Simon, P.C.

    @Sargeant January 25, 2019 1:03 AM “Are those examples of “bad” planning or are those a product of excess numbers of vehicles on the road? The best way to solve some of the traffic woes is by a robust, efficient public transit system.

    Agreed 100%.

    The only thing I would add is that we need more and better sidewalks, so that people can walk short to medium distances. But sidewalks are not sexy. The political class don’t get elected because they promise more and better sidewalks. Didn’t a senior member of our political class make the idiotic statement that “every family should have a little car at the door” I made one of the grands walk for half an hour yesterday, it took a little persuasion but I see no reason while the average 4 to 18 year old should not be walking 1 hour every day. Half an hour to school and half an hour back.

    But we feel that it is a sign of high social status if we never walk, if we jump in our big rides to go distances of half a mile. Had a sibling who did that. I reprimanded him, but of course he ignored me telling me “this is my car and i will drive it where I feel like” that is until he needed a quadruple heart bypass operation by aged 64, and the doctor ordered him to walk one hour a day fro the rest of his life. Advice which i had freely given 30 years earlier.

  11. Sir Simple Simon, P.C. Avatar
    Sir Simple Simon, P.C.

    So “yes” let us go ahead and do our town planning around 80,000 domestic vehicles, and tens of thousands more of commercial vehicles.

    Welcome to state sponsored idiocy.

  12. SirFuzzy (Former Sheep) Avatar
    SirFuzzy (Former Sheep)

    maybe we need to expand the ABC hwy to Netwon, make that section 4 lanes. Maybe this will allow for smoother traffic flow until Newton. From Newton the traffic flows tend to be a lot less at least when i am in the area.

  13. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David

    “The average Barbadian can list any number of examples to show a lack of ‘planning’ because the system has been compromised due to political interference.”

    The planning system is POLITICAL, the Act is explicit in setting out the “interference” of the Minister. Although the assessment is done by the technocrats, decision-making in planning is a political activity. As such in many countries elected officials are responsible for making decisions and can overrule the recommendation of the technocrats, whether to grant or refuse permission. The current government, finally, recognises the potential of town planning to contribute to its broader objectives and appears intent on moving beyond the obsolescent “physical only” approach. The comments by Sargeant and Tin Foil make sense too: location and transport, including public transportation are part of planning.

  14. SirFuzzy (Former Sheep) Avatar
    SirFuzzy (Former Sheep)

    @ Sir Simple Simon, P.C. January 25, 2019 7:29 AM

    So “yes” let us go ahead and do our town planning around 80,000 domestic vehicles, and tens of thousands more of commercial vehicles.

    I never really saw it that way. Maybe just maybe we as a society are hell bent on reaching even higher levels of NCDs by our planning actions and planning inactions.

    Just asking

  15. theogazerts Avatar
    theogazerts

    A hearty “Good Morning” to All
    I am losing it. I scrolled back to see if a blogger was using the name “Tin Foil”
    Very Good

  16. SirFuzzy (Former Sheep) Avatar
    SirFuzzy (Former Sheep)

    (The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it.

    Planning in any society may be hit or miss or miss or hit. Take for example Canary Wharf in London. Today, as i write this, the project can be deemed successful. It has had it ups and downs, but it is up as the moment.

    (quote) Initially, the City of London saw Canary Wharf as an existential threat. It modified its planning laws to expand the provision of new offices in the City of London, for example, creating offices above railway stations (Blackfriars) and roads (Alban Gate). The resulting oversupply of office space contributed to the failure of the Canary Wharf project. (quote)

    Govt can plan etc, but if the society does not run with the planners vision etc or other other options are preferrerd we sometimes get what we are seeing in Barbados with commercial and some maybe some residential developments/projects.

  17. theogazerts Avatar
    theogazerts

    Saw a partial memo from the Ministry of Nullification
    Lorenzo: Continuously lump them together so that if we discredit one we ‘discredit’ all.
    Lorenzo and Enuff: Try to reduce ‘piece’ to a figure of ridicule
    Lorenzo, Enuff and Artax … memo was cut-off there

    🙂 Artax 🙂

  18. Wily Coyote Avatar
    Wily Coyote

    David is once again showing his lack of understanding between PLANNING PERMISSIONS and GREASE MY POCKET, GREASE MY POCKET is a PRIORITY and planning is a small secondary consideration. Welcome to Venezuela.

  19. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Is the planning process as it is a competent one?

  20. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    You are aware one of the redeeming features of the Singapore model we seem to aspire is planing that adheres to the letter of the planning laws. Heather it is housing, transport, commercial development etc it is all driven by the objective to ensure sustainable development; an orderly society. When we mention political you are lfully aware the colloquial connotations/meanings.

  21. ks Avatar
    ks

    It is obviously a combination of all the “errors” in planning mentioned by the submissions above that causes the traffic woes we are now experiencing. Fixing just one of these “errors” will not solve the problem.

    Another problem that will soon arise to add more traffic backups to the problem, will be at the Newton roundabout….. where, I understand, a large Chefette is planned!!! We will have that long stretch of the Hwy from the Kendal Hill roundabout to the Newton roundabout, a long line of vehicles …… getting to GAIA will be best using the old Hwy 7.

  22. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David
    Our system by law is inherently flexible and discretionary. Don’t confuse the Act with the Plan. Read the Singapore act and see the power of the Minister, which re-emphasises my point earlier about the political nature of planning. Don’t roundabouts on the highway favour motorists already on the highway though?

  23. SirFuzzy (Former Sheep) Avatar
    SirFuzzy (Former Sheep)

    @Ks,

    Another problem that will soon arise to add more traffic backups to the problem, will be at the Newton roundabout….. where, I understand, a large Chefette is planned!!! We will have that long stretch of the Hwy from the Kendal Hill roundabout to the Newton roundabout, a long line of vehicles …… getting to GAIA will be best using the old Hwy 7.

    maybe we can consider widening that stretch of highway to increase carry capacity? Ans so way along the strech maybe build a new hospital to help the over crowed QEH?

    Just asking?

  24. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Mr Blogmaster I trend with @Pieces and @Sargeant… your piece seems a bit ‘cart before the horse’ critique.

    I accept that TCP may have made errors at some points in their planning but as noted above u must have excellent road development to propel the growth of business and residences.

    As much as you fault these new plans that will slow down traffic on the ABC at various points one must step further back and recall that some very prominent folks were against the construction of the highway in the first place.

    So in sum the original explosion of commerce etc can be attributed to that ‘good’ planning…

    Seems to me that your unsaid point is that there needs now to be definitive CURBS on development along certain sections of the highway… in the same way that calls were being made for restrictions on beach front development
    …and that decision about which project to approve or to place ‘green space’ restriction of course is the political football that can’t be controlled!

  25. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @Artax
    The road has been redesigned to accommodate the flow of traffic entering and exiting the new Massy supermarket that is to be constructed on the site opposite Trans-Tech Inc.
    +++++++++++
    I have long heard of the rumoured move by Massey but I was unaware that road works were in progress- BTW I don’t understand Massey’s actions in warehousing their Sargeant’s Village location before the new one was completed but that is a Corporate decision- I don’t claim to have knowledge of planning decisions/process but I observe and as with every activity there is cause and effect. I believe that these businesses are best located within easy access to Highways but they can be better served with on and off ramps to the various locations.

    As you intimated, we will have to wait to see how the redesigned road will affect traffic flow.

  26. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    The issue here is how do we ensure planning is not influenced at the whim and fancy of politicians and driven by he need to be effecient.

  27. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Are we not discussing two different things: planning policy ie macro-policy, the process and regulations; and the micro-policy, the granting of applications for individual projects?

  28. David Avatar
    David

    @Dee Word

    See Ks comment below that sums it up.

  29. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Sargeant who wrote ” The best way to solve some of the traffic woes is by a robust, efficient public transit system coupled with change in school allocation which would direct students to secondary schools near where they reside but that may be a bridge too far”

    Yours is a credible solution. Billie Miller had plans to create ” zoning ” when she was Minister of Education in the70s/80s.

  30. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    The two major highways were planned as bye -pass roads to increase the flow of traffic. The problem arose at the micro level when political considerations took over and development of sub- urban areas were allowed to spring up willy nilly ,like mushrooms,overnight at junctions of these corridors.

    Does any one remember when the ABC Highway was designed as a a freeway to connect the Airport and the Sea Port without going through Bridgetown?
    Does any one remember when Highway 2A was designed to speed the connect between the North and the Airport ? Those were the intentions.

    Some persons saw business opportunities to make money and the grand designs were corrupted,’high-jacked’ and “jack-assed’.

    What gives bloggers any assurance that the stated objectives of this revised plan and permission process will not be knocked out of orbit in a twinkling of an eye?

  31. Lexicon Avatar
    Lexicon

    Hants

    Don’t you think that governments in the Caribbean by now should have given the primary and secondary schools their own transportation to help alleviate some of the congestion in the public transportation system?

    And this method has little to do with emulating the US … it is just a common-sense approach that could quite possibly save taxpayers a great deal of money and headaches in the future…

  32. David Avatar
    David

    The issue of botched and corrupt planning should not be contained to the number of vehicles on the roads.

  33. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ David,

    You must be aware that Prime Ministers could have used their power to prevent Bajans from sub dividing land.

  34. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Vincent
    If a route is built to connect the airport and seaport, it makes sense to locate the production, storage or assembling of goods (and ancillary uses) along the route to enable easy movement of goods for export/import. No?

  35. Lexicon Avatar
    Lexicon

    If the American government wants to build a road or a highway and it cuts across private property … to do so the government can use what is called Eminent Domain or the Commerce Clause to achieve its objective…

  36. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @VC
    What did you envisage for as you term it “bye pass” roads when they were conceived? Did you think that we would drive on them only to be distracted by fauna and flora at the side of the road or occasionally hop off to visit “uncle” in Jackson or “gran ma” in Paynes Bay? The auto is predominant in Barbados it is “have car will travel” we no longer walk to the village shop to purchase lard-oil or palm tree butter heck even Massey has/had a shuttle to accommodate those who don’t drive.

    It is only natural for businesses to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the highways and it is up to Gov’t to ensure that these entities don’t add to the problems by providing smooth access/egress to and from the various establishments. The country can’t afford to have highways solely for travelling to and from the Airport without any business infrastructure supporting them.

  37. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    It seems a matter of time befor the overpass conversation is revisited a la 3S?

  38. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Sargeant

    @ Enuff

    Please revisit the Development Plans and the speeches in Parliament that provided the raison d’etre for these two highway developments.
    What appear to you to be logical and wise developments are the sources of the currently perceived problems. The original T& CP included rural town centres which were not followed through with. This chopping and changing of the physical plan leads to chaos. That is where we are now.

    Why have T& CP if we will be guided by the criteria you now think are wise? Do the highways in your countries of adoption have the kind of developments along them that you see in Barbados?.

  39. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Vincent Codrington,

    In Toronto there long sweeping exits from the Highways and the Shopping Malls are located at least a kilometer from the highway.

    The problem I experienced in Warrens is the gas station with an entrance a few metres from the roundabout .

    Barbados has well qualified planners and engineers so they can solve these ” problems “.

  40. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    I will repeat something I wrote before. A lot of the professionals in Barbados studied and or worked in North America and in the UK.

    Seems like they only under perform when they return to Barbados. lol

  41. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    TheO,

    Why don’t you leave Artax alone? Artax will correct ANYBODY who does not have their FACTS straight. FACTS are his thing and misstatement of facts is his trigger. It is like a compulsion. You need to understand personality types. Some people have a compulsion to correct grammar. Artax cannot help correcting alternative facts.

  42. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    @ Hants,

    Barbadians, and wider Caribbean people, are enormously talented. Some of the brightest people I have met in the UK are of Caribbean heritage. The root of the problem is in our Barbadian (Caribbean?) culture, which often upsets some people on BU. Sadly, the truth sometimes hurts.

  43. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Hants at 1 : 41 PM

    I agree with you.

    1) “sweeping exits” and ” shopping malls at least a kilometer from the Highways”.
    And
    2) Qualified Barbadian planners and engineers worked on the development of the Physical plans and the design and development of the highways.
    Where were the weak links in the process?
    I think that you know.

  44. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Vincent
    Development Planning is dynamic and not static. It must be agile, flexible and proactive. It is common practice for industry to be located on or close to transport nodes. Rural town centres when there were 80 cars in Barbados, there are now 800 and online shopping.

  45. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Enuff at 2:01 PM

    What exactly is the point you are making with this submission?
    Dynamic is not the same as chaotic. Proactive based on what? I see more reaction than proactive planning. This is what is driving this discussion. Reacting to unexpected developments – the consequences of sloppy decision making.

    “Common practice for industries”. Are commercial enterprises industries?

  46. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Vincent
    Commercial complements industrial and once houses popped up, a market for supermarkets etc evolved. Not to mention the character of industry in Bdos in the 1980s no longer exist. Like I said, dynamic…you call it chaotic. I don’t see the chaos. It’s not rocket science.

  47. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @VC

    I hesitated to compare Barbados with where I live for obvious reasons the main one being Barbados doesn’t have the land mass nor the resources to dedicate parcels of land miles from highways for construction of shopping malls, it has to work with what’s there. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good as there is no perfect. If we think that there is traffic crawl on highways just build some rural shopping centres and watch.

  48. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Enuff

    I do think you need to apply some rocket science. The world is a lot more complex than you think.

  49. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    VC
    Furthermore, I see opportunity for use of the zone 1 lands in the Belle to support the Port’s activities too!

  50. theogazerts Avatar
    theogazerts

    Let me whisper it to you.

    I like the guy the same way I like ‘piece’ and ‘WB’. Bright guy and required reading.

    You wouldn’t believe it, but I like Enuff also…

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