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| Tourism
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About 33% of the total number of
hotels and 41% of the room capacity in the country are located in the CMR. According
to recent statistics, 45.1% of the total foreign guest nights of the country in
1996 were registered in the CMR. In order to increase tourist attraction of the
region, the CMR Structure Plan has made specific proposals, in addition to the
Tourism Master Plan proposals, such as development of inland water bodies as recreational
centres, establishment of nature parks, development of beaches, improvements to
hotels and promotion of sport-based tourism. These proposed developments, together
with appropriate land use planning and an environmentally sustainable urban configuration,
would attract more tourists to the region.
| Core
Area Development Plan | |
Within the CMR Structure Plan, special
attention has been given to the concept of the Core Area Development Plan. The
Core Area Plan has been designed since the present City of Colombo cannot accommodate
all future urban development. According to current estimates, the floor space
required by year 2010 will be 200 million square feet, which indicates an additional
requirement of 60 million square feet of floor space from the 1996 floor space
of 140 million square feet. The Core Area development plan will encourage the
shifting of all important administrative institution to Sri Jaywardenapura Kotte
in order to release land for commercial development in the city of Colombo. With
these proposed developments, the Core Area will become the administrative/ financial
and commercial capital of the country. In order to straighten security of the
region, security centers will be established in strategic locations. This area
will be developed according to sustainable and viable physical development planning
principles. The projected population that could be accommodated within the Core
Area, which covers about 16,600 Ha., would be in the range of 2 to 2.5 Mn. over
the next 10 to 15 years. To achieve the above objectives, Zoning, Planning Regulations,
Building Regulations, Density Plan and Development Guidelines are formulated for
the development of the Core Area are formulated and included in the Core Area
Development Plan.
| Proposed
Growth Centres | |
In addition to detailed planning
of the capital territory, six regional growth centres have been identified. They
are, - Negombo Growth Centre
- Gampaha Growth Centre
- Biyagama Growth Centre
- Homagama Growth Centre
- Horana Growth Centre
- Matugama Growth Centre In
relation to these growth centers, the CMRSP has identified the Land-Use Structure
and the projected population for each growth centre by the year 2010. In addition,
functions for each of the six growth centres have also been identified. The proposed
functions for the Negombo Growth Centre for example, are industrial, tourism,
high density residential and airport related activities.
| Proposed
Implementation Strategy | |
A number of Institutions have been
established and expected to be given powers under certain sections of their Acts
for implementation of Physical Development Plans. These include UDA Law No.41
of 1978; NHDA Act No.17 of 1979; GCEC Law No.4 of 1978; Town & Country Planning
Ordinance, No 13 of 1946; Colombo District 'Reservation and Development' Board
Act No.15 of 1968; Provincial Council Act No.42 of 1987 ; Municipal Council Ordinance,
No. 29 of 1947; Urban Council Ordinance No 61 of 1939; Pradeshiya Sabha Act No.15
of 1987; Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka Act No.23 of 1979 etc. The CMR Structure
Plan has recognized that the present institutional set up does not provide sufficient
legal and administrative powers for co-ordinating and implementing a plan of this
magnitude successfully. The CMRSP
therefore, proposes the creation of a new agency such as the National Physical
Planning Agency (NPPA) or Colombo Metropolitan Regional Development Authority
(CMRDA) the expansion of the powers of institutions such as the Urban Development
Authority (UDA) or the Western Provincial Council (WPC). The funding for implementation
of the Structure Plan will be raised from Public and Private Sectors both local
and foreign investors and by the proposed betterment tax and development bonds.
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