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Home / Omuthiya needs N$80 million for new town development
Omuthiya needs N$80 million for new town development
2016-11-21Staff Report 2 Omuthiya The Omuthiya Town Council needs at least N$80 million for the realisation of Omuthiya’s newly envisaged mix-use town that will incorporate business and residential areas still to be developed. The land where the town centre is envisioned is currently being serviced. The model of double-storey buildings was set as the suitable form of structure as it presents an opportunity for multifaceted developments and undertakings. This was revealed by the town’s CEO Samuel Mbango on Thursday during a public meeting on the town’s first design concept detailing the urban structural plan. The structural plan is a policy document guiding and informing decision makers and community members as to how an urban area can grow, as well as understanding of the growth of the town and the long-term developments to be integrated. “We are trying to integrate the township planning and regional and urban planning ordinances bills as part of the structural design. In case you have wondered why we are developing slowly, it’s because of these two bills,” says Mbango. The future bill envisions long-term spatial development frameworks by means of a structural plan at all national, regional and urban levels, which can be used by government when determining developmental projects, as such structures are already specified. The design is being undertaken by Stubenrauch Planning Consultants cc. Presenting the design was the company’s managing director Gunther Stubenrauch, who stressed that Omuthiya could not grow southerly due to the flood-prone areas, thus it was undevelopable for urban structures, and this was listed as among the major constraints to the town despite it having huge areas of townland. Another constraint was the overlapping land use between conservancies and townlands. The design makes provision for a bypass on a future long-term basis, use of trams and bicycle lanes, leisure and tourism sites, agricultural land, an army base and an airport, among others. “The design was made after lessons learned from other small and big towns and thus all what is proposed is a correction of other mistakes, thus it is a visionary concept which includes all aspects needed for a town. If not included or done at this moment, it will not be possible in future as such provisions are not available,” said Stubenraunch. Stakeholders were accorded the opportunity to make inputs and criticisms on the drafted designs. 2016-11-21Staff Report 2
