GULU – Authorities in Gulu City are on the spot for failing to stop physical structures, buildings and construction works that have not been approved.
A report by the National Planning Authority (NPA) of the 2019/20 Financial Year indicates that just 40% of the structures in the then Gulu Municipality and City have been approved.
In 2010, Gulu district council passed a resolution to demolish all substandard structures that are on road reserves. In 2017, Gulu Municipal Council marked houses and other structures that were not approved, demolishing hundreds.
Speaking during the presentation of the Gulu City Physical Development Plan workshop held at the Bomah Hotel in Gulu City, Dr Ivan Lule, an executive member of the National Planning Authority says, the technical leaders did not do their work in following policies.
According to Lule, as a result, the City has seen many challenges of waterlogged streets, waste management among others because people have built in areas which are not gazetted and yet under planning.
Alfred Okwonga, the Gulu City Mayor says, they have currently halted approval of buildings and physical plans within the city until the master plan which is currently under review is approved by the City Council.
“We have halted approval of all buildings and physical plans within the City so that we don’t have structures cropping up in unplanned areas, which would be gazetted for other development activities. We will resume approving buildings and physical plans when we approve our new city physical plan,” Okwonga says.
Okwonga also blamed the previous leaders for failing to follow policies and even in some cases selling off public spaces like the Gulu Golf Course, wetlands, forests among others yet they are very important for the development of the city.
“The reason we have lost most of our public spaces like forests and wetlands are due to the negligence and corrupt tendencies of the previous leadership of the municipal council.
Dr Ronald McGill, an urban area planning expert says, most times urban areas, towns and cities drag on for far too long in planning the development plan and yet developments like buildings can’t wait for that long.
According to McGill, with the status of Gulu City, no proper investment can be done within the City given its disorganization saying, even after the new city plan is approved, many structures might be affected.
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