Inefficient use of land has contributed to traffic problems and is fuelling quality of life challenges for Cayman Islands people, the islands’ planning chief has acknowledged.
Haroon Pandohie, director of the Department of Planning, said Cayman needs a new formula for how it develops.
He was speaking at the latest PlanCayman meeting in Bodden Town, Thursday, where residents vented frustrations about traffic and the impact of a growing population on the Grand Cayman’s infrastructure.
The meeting drew a crowd of around 30 people, a smaller turnout than in West Bay and George Town, but residents arrived prepared to ask direct questions.
Attendees asked how planners will reconcile the growing pressure to build housing for new residents while preserving farms that have been run by Caymanian families for generations.
Attendees also questioned the long-term vision for relieving traffic and other pressures affecting quality of life.
Returning panellists included Pandohie, planning officer Richard Mileham and Central Planning Authority member Christine Maltman. Fellow CPA member Peterkin Berry also joined. Donna Bush moderated.
Under pressure
Getting approval for the planning statement is the first step in updating the current national development plan, which is 30 years old and in desperate need of revision, panellists explained.
Pandohie emphasised the importance of updating the plan to residents, who shared their worries about the increasing pressure being placed on infrastructure.
“Right now, we’re locked in a pattern that says there’s tradeoffs,” he said. “If I want to have a residential home, the trade off is I have to sit in traffic to get to work.
“If I want to have a certain type of housing stock, that means I have to live far out of town. No. That’s an old pattern, and that’s what’s leading to the inefficient use of land in Cayman. That’s what’s leading to the high stress levels.”
Make your voice heard
- North Side: Thursday, 4 July, 7-9pm, Edna Moyle Primary School
- Cayman Brac: Monday, 8 July, 7-9pm, Aston Rutty Centre
- Little Cayman: Monday, 15 July, 7-9pm, Little Cayman Beach Resort
- East End: Thursday, 18 July, 7-9pm, William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre
- Virtual Meeting: Thursday, 18 July, 12-1pm
- Savannah: Thursday, 25 July, 7-9pm, Savannah United Church (Rescheduled)
He said such patterns are detracting from quality of life for residents, and updating a holistic plan may help connect the dots for a more cohesive way of pursuing development.
Some attendees voiced their support for the creation of a city centre in the eastern districts, alleviating some of the traffic from eastern and central districts to George Town.
As one resident said, “Every day, the traffic is getting worse. We’re talking about transportation and public transportation, but it’s more than just that. It’s speaking to the other government departments about, ‘Do we need to decentralise some of these services?’”
Farming families
Speakers shared concern that, as the population continues to grow and more people move to the area to live, farming families are being pushed out.
Mileham said that is where more detailed area plans may be helpful.
The road to establishing a new development plan has several steps.
Right now, PlanCayman is focused on finalising the development plan statement, a general overview of what the new document will aim to do. Next, they will focus on specific “area plans,” which go through each of the districts across all three islands with a fine-tooth comb, designating areas for natural resource protections, farms, school grounds and more.
Pandohie added, “The current plan that we have — and again, that was brought into place in 1997 — was fit for purpose for that time. But as the country has moved on, we have to start getting down to a more detailed level, where we can segregate those things out.”
Panellists said the aim is to determine appropriate zones for various types of development, rather than placing such emphasis on approving projects on a case-by-case basis.
Pandohie said such zoning could help protect farms, so anyone aiming to move to the area would already be aware of what types of properties are nearby.
He noted that existing farms and other properties would be grandfathered into any zoning changes.
He and fellow speakers reminded all residents that the deadline for providing feedback on the statement is 30 July.
For more information or to give feedback, visit plancayman.ky.
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