Deputy Speaker, this is a long awaited and much needed piece of legislation to regularise planning and land use management across the country. Regrettably, stakeholders say the department has not done enough to facilitate substantive input, particularly by organisations that work on behalf of the poor.
One of the main concerns expressed is the capacity of the country to implement and roll out the provisions of the Bill nationwide as there are not enough planning professionals to undertake even existing planning and land use management functions.
A number of key shortcomings in the Bill relate to a lack of clarity about the respective powers and functions of the different spheres of the state; the promotion of an integrated approach to urban informality, spatial inequality and environmental sustainability; the capacity constraints within the planning profession; and the appropriateness of present land use management tools within the context of communal areas.
Planners strongly urge the department to establish a clear monitoring and evaluation system if the Bill is passed in its current form. Ideally, this should include a panel composed of competent role-players drawn from across all sectors of society to sit every five years to consider the appropriateness and effectiveness of planning legislation and to make recommendations on how it could be modified and improved.
Lastly, the ACDP shares concerns that a clause was not introduced to ensure that the social and environmental value of land is taken into account. Unfortunately, the ACDP will not be able to support this Bill. Thank you.