STAFF and students of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) have added their voices to the discussion on a new vision for Castries dubbed Castries Vision 2030, according to the National Competitiveness and Productivity Unit.
The Unit reported that the government has tasked the National Integrated Planning and Programme Unit (NIPP) in the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), to articulate the Castries Vision 2030 redevelopment plan.
Director for NIPP, Haward Wells, said the interaction with the SALCC students was vital to close certain gaps.
“We thought it was an exciting opportunity when the college invited us over to get the students involved – let them air their views, let them express what they see the future of Castries is as it relates to the ongoing process,” Wells declared.
He added that the “spirited interaction” with the students highlighted issues with traffic congestion, the minibus situation, the Castries market, flooding in part of the city and other environmental concerns.
The NIPP Director stated that as the planning phase moves ahead, consultations are scheduled to take place with residents and land owners from Castries to facilitate their direct feedback on the Castries Vision 2030 project.
The National Competitiveness and Productivity Unit has said that stakeholder consultations have been integral to the development of the plan, with the aim of gathering suggestions from a wide cross section of the Saint Lucian society.
The aim is to make Castries more resilient to climate change by aligning the city to some of the international conventions government has signed onto dealing with sustainable cities and communities, compact mixed use developments whilst making the city more socially inclusive, the unit explained.