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June 14, 2023

Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKNIS): The final draft of the National Physical Development Plan (NPDP), which is a plan to govern the appropriate use and management of land in St. Kitts and Nevis will be presented to Cabinet in September 2023.

This was according to the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development during the June 12 Sitting of Parliament. She noted that the plan “guides the physical development and land use management for St. Kitts and Nevis for the next 30 years.”

“The final draft will lead to legislative amendments, hence the reason why I am providing this update with major issues including integrating social impact assessment within the framework of existing environmental impact assessments under the Development and Control Planning Act, adding a modernized definition of agriculture to include agricultural related use given our proposed changes for agriculture, as well as linking supporting documents and standard procedures between the Departments of Marine Resources, Agriculture and Physical Planning,” Dr. Clarke said.

The project, which was prepared within the framework of Improving Environmental Management through Sustainable Land Management in St. Kitts and Nevis, was conceptualized in 2006 with a 15-year lifespan that ended in 2021.

Director of Physical Planning in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Austin Farier said that in the “updated parent document, the Department of Physical Planning (DPP) is proposing a review every five (5) years.”

“This shorter period would not only seek to update legislative and regulatory enhancements where necessary but will also help to align the document to the vision of the present government,” said Mr. Farier. “There will also be the preparation of Local Area Development Plans which would include proposing future strategies for potential growth pole settlements, such as Sandy Point and Cayon which would seek to divert the reliance of commuting to Basseterre for goods and services.”

Mr. Farier added that the draft document was presented to Cabinet by Dr. Clarke for consideration. It was also reviewed by several stakeholders. The first session, which was designed to garner information and feedback on the proposed document” was done in February 2023, followed by a “second round of consultations” in May 2023.

The National Physical Development Plan was prepared within the framework of Improving Environmental Management through Sustainable Land Management in St. Kitts and Nevis. It was implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is being funded through the Global Environment Facility (GEF).