A joint look and learn team comprising officials from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Provincial Government, the Choiseul Provincial Government and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey have left for a mission in Fiji.
The trip is organized with Fiji’s Ministry of Local Government, Town & Country Planning, Housing and Environment to allow the officials study the town planning models in those respective Fiji townships.
The objectives of the trip are to look at the town planning and management models, tools, policies, regulations, legal frameworks, and land administrations of the targeted towns with a view to identifying a similar township model that is viably suitable and relevant for the Choiseul Bay Township Project.
The ‘rural township, look and learn trip’ culminated from the implementation plans of the Choiseul Bay Township Project which is coordinated by a Project Steering Committee comprising MPGIS and Choiseul Provincial Government officers under the Project Management Unit of MPGIS.
One of the team’s plan is to visit any developing rural towns in a neighboring pacific country and draw positive development lessons from their set ups.
The Choiseul Bay Township Project is a Solomon Island Government funded project under MPGIS National Development Budget.
Substantial amount of work has been accomplished in terms of sorting out the land tenure, conducting various components of prefeasibility studies, including topographic survey of Lot 9 of LR3, socio-economic study, initial environmental examination, financial feasibility study, land tenure assessment and settlement, legal services requirement and the outright purchase of Lot 277 of LR 3 by the Choiseul Provincial Government via MPGIS.
The Premier of Choiseul Province Hon. Jackson Kiloe (MPA) said that it is important for the emerging Choiseul Bay Township development to take into account increasing risks associated with climate variability as well as longer term climate change risks.
He said that this is for purpose of avoiding or repeating the same problem faced by the current Provincial capital – Taro Island.
The Choiseul Premier said that by investigating recent island town planning methodology applied by Fiji and integrating them into our existing town planning methodology, we should be able to have a consolidated approach that would enable us create a good sense of planning and ensure the long term sustainability of the new township development.
The Premier said that the trip would enable effective and efficient urban land administration and physical planning in the New Choiseul Bay Town, and ensure availability and accessibility of adequate service land across all sectors to meet economic and social needs.
Source: Press Release, Government Communications Unit