Title: Planning for sustainable development: Case study Mauritius Principal Speaker Baguant-Moonshiram, Yashwaree Department of Civil Engineering,

, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius; k.baguant@uom.ac.mu Authors: Doobur, R., Nowbuth, M. D. & Baguant-Moonshiram, Y. Paper Type: Oral paper Extended Abstract Town and country planning is essentially a matter of resolving conflicts between different land users and ensuring that various demands made upon limited land resources are met in an orderly fashion (Ardill, 1974). Brundtland report (1987) has defined the term sustainable development as the development that meets the needs for the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development and planning is structured essentially around three main elements; economic growth, social development and environmental protection. While development is associated with social development, it is also associated with environmental disasters if the development is not well planned. In 1992, following the international conference in Rio de Janeiro, a number of guiding principles were established on action that countries could take to achieve sustainable development (Agenda, 21). Based on these guiding principles, Mauritius promulgated its National Agenda 21 to address the pressing problems and to cater for new developments with a view of achieving the balance between development, social benefits and environmental protection. In the pursuit of sustainable development, a number of legislation and policies in the field of planning have been enacted; the National Environment Policy (2002), the Planning and Development Act (PDA, 2004), the National Development Strategy (NDS) and the National Physical Development Plan. The PDA (2004) also makes provision for the introduction of the Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) which shall prevail to the extent of any inconsistency, over a development plan when applications for developments are to be determined by the local authorities. Together these documents provide a strong basis to development frameworks for planning for sustainable development in Mauritius. The village of Rivire des Anguilles covers a surface area of about 20km2, and is located to the south of Mauritius. The current population of the village is around 9800 (CSO, 2005). In the past the village was mostly an agricultural area. Most of the inhabitants at that time were main sugar estate workers for the then existing sugar estates, namely; Britannia, Beau Bois, Saint Aubin and Benares. Residential zones started to grow in

the early sixties, following a very strong cyclone, cyclone Carol. As from the 1960s, there had been strong migration towards the village. The village was very famous for its recreational centres, two cinema halls and a gorgeous cascade on a nearby river, the Dynamo river. Since the rivers passing by the village were very productive in the past, fishing was an important recreational activity in the past. Nowadays, the majority of the inhabitants of the village work either in the agricultural or the manufacturing sector. Inhabitants have also found employment in the Governmental and private sectors, by the presence of two primary government schools, three secondary colleges, one public library run by the Ministry of Education, a police station, a social security office, industries (The Industrial Complex and Sonaiwear Garments), La Vanille Reserves des Mascareignes and Bel Air Sugar Estate. Other smaller businesses include one bakery, three supermarkets, fifteen corner shops and twenty taxi operators. With regards to facilities and services, the village is served by a Post Office, a Citizen Advice Bureau, and a relatively big market. The village also has appropriate infrastructure such as road network, water supply networks and electricity networks. The primary access of the village to the main city centre of the island of Mauritius is via a highway known as the A9 highway from a junction on an M1 motorway. The village is connected to other nearby villages via an A and B class roads. The village is administered by the village council, whose main objective is to provide for street lighting, scavenging services and maintenance of roads. Building and land use permits are granted by the Grand Port/Savanne District Council. Findings The findings of the survey of the village have confirmed that in the past development have been haphazard catering only for short term requirements. This has led to some chaotic situation with respect to the environment and safety prevailing in the village. The village is located close to the coast and the tourism sector is blooming in Mauritius, so sustainable development and planning has become a must for the village and also for nearby villages, which suffer from the same problems. The following is a proposed framework which takes into consideration the prevailing situation and future development requirements. The main sectors that need to be reviewed are discussed below: a. Mixed use developments b. Facilitate regional economic growth activities. c. Create new development opportunities. d. Revitalise and rehabilitate out of use locations and develop buildings. e. Improve local traffic, reducing congestion, increasing road safety and environmental conditions.

f. Provision of community and sports facilities g. Improved disposal of solid and liquid wastes BIBLIOGRAPHY Anon (1994). National Physical Development Plan Volume 1, Ministry of Housing, Lands and Town and Country Planning Anon (1995). Outline Planning Scheme for Grand Port-Savanne District Council Area, Ministry of Housing, Lands and Town and Country Planning Anon (2002). Meeting the Challenges of Sustainable Development , Ministry of Environment Anon (2004). Halcrow, National Development Strategy, Volume 1 Anon (2005). Mauritius - Staking Out the future , Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit Anon (2006). Outline Planning Scheme for Grand Port Savanne District Council Area, Ministry of Housing and Lands Anon. (2006). The Finance and Audit Act 2001, State Law Office Anon (2004). Policy and Planning Guidance - Industrial Development, Ministry of Housing and Lands Anon (2004). Policy and Planning Guidance Commercial Development, Ministry of Housing and Lands Gonzalez, S., (2005). Cities Divided - Spatial Segregation in Urban Africa. Mungur, B., Burrun B., (2000). An invitation to the charms of Mauritian Localities Website: http://Sustainable development.gov.uk