[Source: Citizen Digital, by Kepha Muiruri]
The Lands and Physical Planning Ministry has declared the geographical area under Tatu City as a special planning area putting brakes on the recent row pitting the mega-city developer and county of Kiambu.
The grant of the special planning area status – which is defined as an area cutting across the boundaries of two or more authorities with significant development challenges – effectively corrects the outstanding dispute which has so far threatened the fruition of the multi-billion shillings development.
“The purpose of this declaration is to facilitate preparation of a harmonized comprehensive Local Physical Development Plan (LPDP) which will provide the framework for the physical development and management of the area and guide the development control processes,” noted the National Director of Physical Planning Augustine Masinde in a directive on May 30, 2019.
The directive thereby relinquishes the control of the development back to the State, hence limiting Kiambu County government powers prescribed in the Physical Planning Act of 1996; including the consideration and approval of all development applications and the formulation of by-laws to regulate zoning in respect to the use and density of developments.
Tatu City developer Rendeavour has until now been locked in a sheer battle with Kiambu County Government, with running battles ending up in legal suits and counter accusations.
Rendeavour set foot in Kiambu in 2008 taking up space in the formerly Belgian-owned rubber and coffee company- Socfinaf.
The development sits in line with the Nairobi Metro 2030 Strategy that is aimed at the decentralization of the urban environment to ease the pressure on Nairobi.
The undertaking sits on a 5,000 acre piece of land which, when fully developed, was to incorporate homes, schools, office blocks, manufacturing areas and sports & entertainment complexes.
[Full article: Citizen Digital, by Kepha Muiruri]
