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Nqobile Tshili, [email protected] 

THE value of properties in Bulawayo’s affluent suburbs of Khumalo, Parklands and Suburbs is expected to go up following plans by the city council to transform the residential areas into a commercial zoning district in line with the city’s development plan. 

According to Bulawayo City Council (BCC) the move is expected to decongest the city centre. As part of the local authority’s ambitious plan, new upmarket hotels and shopping malls will be constructed.

BCC is in the process of reviewing the Local Development Plan No.19 which is a detailed component of the city’s Master Plan covering Suburbs, Khumalo and Parklands suburbs.

The council has 20 local development plans and that have an impact on various parts of the city.

Stakeholders in Bulawayo will be given up to the end of March to contribute to the development plan which seeks to unlock investment in the city and promote its growth.

BCC yesterday conducted a stakeholder engagement on its development plan during which officials presented consolidated information on the proposed plans. Council said home owners in the three suburbs would be allowed to build high rise buildings and town houses as part of the densification process.

BCC town planner Mr Shelton Sithole said the proposed development plan is in line with President Mnangagwa’s call for authorities to craft masterplans that address service delivery issues. 

Mr Sithole said through the proposed local development plan, the local authority will be able to regularise commercial activities already in the area. Some property owners in those residential areas have since commercialised their houses by leasing them out to businesses.

Lately, there has been a growing trend of new lodges being opened in Suburbs, Khumalo and Parklands while organisations such as Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe, World Vision among other organisations are operating from those suburbs. 

“This plan unlocks investment for the City of Bulawayo. It creates a densified Bulawayo, and the plan creates a contemporary Bulawayo,” said Mr Sithole.

 “So, we are doing forward thinking by planning for the future to say we want to accommodate commerce, mixed uses and densified communities. We want to identify and unlock land for residential and commercial activities.”

Mr Sithole said the city’s stakeholders can contribute their inputs on the proposed development plan between now and March next year before it is taken to council for adoption. 

Mr Sithole said the Local Development Plan No.19 will result in value of properties in the three suburbs going up. 

“We are going to provide you with the current value before the interventions that have been done. We will also provide the envisaged value having considered two hotel sites, an old people’s home, a hospital, town houses, shopping malls and commercial shops that are going to come up,” he said. “So, we are going to provide the two plans in terms of investment portfolio. Unfortunately we can’t do that now because there are some issues that residents may object to.” 

Mr Sithole said the plan will result in some of the roads being realigned, and one of them is 9th Avenue which will be extended beyond its dead-end near Milton Primary School.

He said the proposed area also lies within the city’s high accident zone and the new development plan seeks to address the problem.

Mr Sithole said the development of high rise buildings will be in conformity with the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy taking into cognisance the fact that the land is a finite resource.

He said mixed use development concept gives an area its unique identity and is also highly likely to attract economic investments. 

Mr Sithole said in implementing the developments, the local authority will ensure that residential areas maintain their identity as low density suburbs. 

He said the local authority will also address illegal mining among other environmental degradation issues.

“We also recognise that there are adverse environmental issues that are happening within the study area, and one of them being the illegal mining activities around the area, the pollution of water bodies, streams and land pollution in open spaces. So we are going to conduct stakeholder initiatives of enforcement,” said Mr Sithole.

BCC town planning director Mr Wisdom Siziba said the plan was presented to councillors before it was taken to the public. –@nqotshili