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UDA takes over more land in Colombo from CMC
View(s):The Government this week vested with the Urban Development Authority an extent of 120 perches on Norris Canal Road to build a multistoried car park.
The order was made by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as Urban Development Minister. The land, located opposite the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, belongs to the Colombo Municipal Council and is now occupied by vendors who are expected to be relocated.
A programme to build and maintain car parks using investors selected via an “open competitive bidding process” was first announced to Cabinet by the Prime Minister in October last year. Locations in Colombo, Battaramulla, Anuradhapura and Kandy have been identified and requests for proposals are expected to be called from the private sector to run these as public-private partnerships.
In November, Premier Rajapaksa also issued a gazette to amend the City of Colombo Development Plan 2008. It changed certain areas in Colombo 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 from ‘Special Primary Residential Zone’ to ‘Mixed Development Zone’.
They include locations flanked by Flower Terrace and Walukarama Road, Cumaratunga Munidasa Mw, Queen’s Road, Reid Avenue, 27th Lane, 37th Lane and R A De Mel Mawatha. Others are bordered by Lauries Road, Havelock Road, Kirulapone Canal, R A De Mel Mawatha and Layard’s Road and Bauddhaloka Mawatha.
In Colombo city, land use is divided into Special Primary Residential Zones, Primary Residential Zones, Special Mixed Residential Zones, Sea Front Zones, Mixed Development Zones, Port Related Activity Zones, Commercial Zones, Concentrated Development Zones and Public Open Spaces.
Unlike in Mixed Development Zones, in Special Primary Residential Zones buildings are strictly regulated by size and extent.