Last Updated on: 17th September 2023, 09:24 am
Gulu | Gulu city council has launched the approved physical development plan (PDP) for its vision 2022-2040.
The plan will be achieved with the support of the Global Green Growth Institute [GGGI] which is working in five selected cities in Uganda.
According to the plan which was seen by the TND News, a total of 255 square kilometres, bigger than the previous one of 5.6 square kilometres when Gulu was still having a municipal status.
Agnes Oyella, senior physical planner of Gulu city commented that PDP is a tool for development control. “It will help the city in organising land and create more room for order and enforcement process.”
Oyella added that the physical development plan will help the flow of infrastructure project development in the city while cutting off the cost of compensation settlement.
She, however, urged technical teams to work hand in hand to change the mindset of the local community on PDP, make them understand, love and promote.
“But challenges would come from landowners’ mindset who did not want to allow the extension of the road which will affect PDP to move.
“As Gulu city’s physical planner, we are trying to promote a green growth structure to achieve a physical development plan while engaging the locals on mindset change to embrace intervention,” Oyella revealed.
Amanda Ngabirano, chairperson of the National Physical Planning Board, said local people of Gulu city still have a negative attitude toward physical development, saying politicians are the ones fueling bad perceptions.
However, he cautioned technical teams to work hand in hand with politicians and feed correct information against PDP.
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Amanda noted that the physical development plan is the first of its kind to happen in Gulu city. “When Gulu was a municipality, Gulu should have had a structural sustainable mechanism to avoid failure of managing the PDP.
“PDP will remove disorder in the city, other cities have a lot of linkage disorder on development. Gulu does not yet have linkage disorder but has a lot of open land to promote PDP. We need to utilise it earlier and correct it,” Amanda explained.
She advised and appealed to the public to comply with the plan, calling it a long-term interest plan, warning against focusing on short-term interest plans which will affect the young generation.
“If farmers in the garden plan crops in line, why not apply it in the development plan?”
Jackie Kemigsha Kiiza, from the Ministry of Local Government, said Gulu was the second city after Jinja to approve their PDPs.
The same will be followed by Arua city, she said, adding that with the available physical development plan, if put into work, Gulu city will generate a lot of revenue. “Gulu city council should not waste time, land and energy to spoil the program.”
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Padde Joseph Walter, commissioner of urban development, ministry of Land Housing and Urban Development has told the city authority to implement the plan successfully. “Do not plan as an individual, have joint interest for a proper sustainable goal of physical development plan.”
Further, he added that Gulu should design a good process of enforcement earlier. “Gulu city is a model city in terms of implementing USMID projects, this will be a walkover for them to utilise and implement it well.”
Peter Banya, deputy resident city commissioner [RCC] said he was disappointed by the absence of the critics during the launch.
“People (critics) who did not appear in the launch were criticising any development coming to develop the city.
“The issues of sharing property with Gulu district will affect the development of the physical development plan. Some land, schools, and buildings, among others still being owned by the authority of Gulu district need to be corrected,” Banya said.