The Colombo city-built environment is set to change vividly over the next four to five years, as the existing British and Dutch colonial buildings are being renovated, preserving ancient architecture. Several new hotel buildings are also coming up in the city conserving garden green natural environment, an Urban Development Authority official (UDA) revealed. By 2020 [...]

The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

Colombo city-built environment to change vividly

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The Colombo city-built environment is set to change vividly over the next four to five years, as the existing British and Dutch colonial buildings are being renovated, preserving ancient architecture.

Several new hotel buildings are also coming up in the city conserving garden green natural environment, an Urban Development Authority official (UDA) revealed.

By 2020 Colombo’s skyline will be transformed to a vibrant city towering above the Indian Ocean, he said adding that the water front of Beira Lake will be developed as a high end leisure and entertainment zone.

A licence will be given to a private aviation company to use Beira Lake for the purpose of landing sea planes.

The Government’s offer of prime, urban waterfront land adjoining the Beira Lake on D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha to investors, for high-end development will transform the area into Colombo’s leisure and entertainment hub, Deputy Director General UDA Nihal Fernando told the National Chamber of Commerce CEO Forum on the theme ‘Changing Skyline of Colombo’ on Thursday.

A-shaped residential property ‘Altair’ will come up on the other side of the Beira Lake which will be further dredged introducing new flora and fauna into the eco-system.

Around it, a 12-metre-wide Linear Park is to be built along with a park for leisure, water-based recreational activities and open-air entertainment space for public use. Referring to the Gold Centre at former fish market building in Pettah , he said that the re-construction of the unique and sophisticated building with modern facilities and security system has been completed at a cost of Rs.237 million.

70 out of 80 shops have been leased out to Colombo and outstation gem and jewelry traders including traders in Sea Street, he revealed.

The Sri Lanka Gems and Jewelry Authority will be housed at the centre and it will issue certificates guaranteeing the quality standard of gold sold there.

It will be opened within the next two months for buying and selling of gems, jewelry and exchange of gold at shops which will be accommodated in the ground floor.

The old colonial building that houses the Grand Oriental Hotel in Colombo Fort, owned and operated by the Bank of Ceylon, adjoining lands owned by the Police Department and the waterfront near the Colombo Port will be developed to build a three-star hotel while preserving the old heritage, he said.

Police Headquarters and the CID office will be shifted to Mirihana making way for the hotel project and itwill be connected by an overhead bridge to enable travellers arriving in the island by ship to visit the hotel, he disclosed.

A cargo village in Peliyagoda will tackle the issue of heavy container traffic in the Colombo port and a railway lines will be laid from the port to Dematagoda.

Containers unloaded from ships will be directly transported to the Peliyagoda cargo village where customers will be able to clear their shipments from the village itself, he said.

The shifting of the Colombo Fish market and Tripoli market to Peliyagoda will help minimise traffic congestion caused by around 500 lorries carrying goods daily to Colombo, he added.

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