The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Masaka city authorities have stopped approving building plans that don’t provide for green spaces. All developers intending to put up structures of any size within Masaka city are required to reserve a sizeable percentage of green space before they present them to the city physical planer for approval.
Martin Kigozi, the senior physical planer Masaka city says that the decision is aimed at ensuring a properly planned town with green spaces to avoid congestion. He says that they intend to have a city with enough trees and grass to provide a healthy environment.
He explains that the elevation of Masaka municipality to a city has triggered the unguided purchase of land including very tiny plots which people want to develop without leaving breathing spaces. Kigozi says that they have embedded the policy in the broader physical plan for the new Masaka city as it transitions from the municipality status.
He says that the new physical planning policy also bans the approval of building plans drown on plots below the dimensions of 50 by 100 meters as a way of regulating development in the area.
In addition to cracking down on all people constructing without approved structural plans, Kigozi says that their enforcement teams are also out to clampdown on all land dealers subdividing plots below the acceptable dimensions.
John Bahengane, the Masaka city town clerk has urged residents and people intending to settle within Masaka city to abide by the regulations, arguing that he will not preside over unguided development. He says that they plan to engage all stakeholders to have their inputs in the broader physical plan for the city they envisage.
The Physical Planning Act 2010 and its amendment of 2020 mandates urban authorities to undertake steps towards ensuring that the growth and development of urban areas is planned. Notably, new boundaries of Masaka city were expanded up to 360.4 square kilometers from 46.2 square kilometers of the traditional municipality.
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several issues in this new city
The land lords should be educated on “Situate vehicle-idling areas away from occupied buildings and ventilation inlets”.
some travelers who sleep over have narrowly survived from failure to breathe, when the vehicles are parked opposite the door started in the morning and the air in the room becomes unbearable!