Commission being set up to plan development of Georgetown

GINA, GUYANA, Friday, January 27, 2017

City councilors, business owners, faith based organisations and special interest groups gathered at the Tower Suites, International Hotel on Main Street today, to consult on how to modernise Georgetown.

Speaking at the opening of the consultations for the setting up of a National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valarie Adams-Patterson, challenged participants to use the opportunity to create the conditions for a better life for the citizens of Georgetown.

Also present were Chairman of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Hamilton Green, Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department, CH&PA, Germene Stewart, Consultant, Horace Nurse and Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green.

“You have inherited a city upon which many others before you have left their marks… Georgetown is over 200 years old, and its varied history is imprinted forever upon its landscape… You, the new trustees, therefore, have inherited a jewel upon which you too will undoubtedly make your mark. The challenge is, for you to make a positive contribution to the city, leave an enviable legacy, for other generations to inherit,” the minister said.

The NCPC aims to review the numerous academic and technical studies conducted over the years, and come up with a structured plan for the orderly development of the City.

The plan will include solutions for addressing the challenges which face the city. These include problems of drainage, unlawful activities and crime, ignorance of zoning laws, squatting, improper vending and noise nuisance and garbage disposal.

Patterson said, “It will also address the creation of a new culture in the city; a culture of care for the environment, cleanliness, community building and building homes instead of houses.”

Mayor Particia Chase-Green, addressing the consultation, called for public support for the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown to foster the sustainable development of the capital city.

“There will be fights. There will be struggles. There will be challenges and difference but there must be changes,” the Mayor said adding that, Georgetown must be restored to its former glory, and that the council cannot do it alone . “I beg of you this morning to pledge with the city council, your support to us moving forward in the development of the city of Georgetown. Today let us commit in doing it all together…let us as of today move forward as one body, one head, and one heart, towards the development of this beautiful city,” she urged.

The public consultation for the establishment of the NCPC was facilitated by the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown in collaboration with the Ministry of Communities, Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC.)

The consultation was the first step on the path of realising the vision of President David Granger; a vision of rebranding Georgetown into a national town.