Physical planners need protection

By Amanda Ngabirano

HISTORICALLY, physical planning often involves matters of large emotional stake such as ownership, financial losses, sense of belonging and survival. 

Modern planning also recommends public participatory planning. Many people think they know enough about planning and, therefore, tend ignore the planners’ advice. This is worse when they are ignorant of the planning law. 

As John Levy put it, ‘Planning is immersed in politics and yet inseparable from the law’. 

Urban renewal and development control measures have always been received with resentment and lack of willingness to accept change. In the 19th Century, as the US and Western Europe struggled to restore their cities to physical order and efficiency after their unprecedented growth effects, several human costs were incurred. Hundreds of thousands of families were displaced. 

It will not be surprising when similar or worse incidences occur given KCCA’s recent activities aimed at re-organising the city. 

The Physical Planning Act 2010 empowers the local physical planning committee to prohibit or control the use and development of land and buildings in the interests of the proper and orderly development of its area. 

It also prohibits a person from carrying out any development within the planning area without obtaining development permission from the committee. It stipulates that within a certain period as mentioned in the enforcement notice by the planning authority, if any measures required to be taken, other than discontinuance of land, are not taken, the local government may enter on the land and take those measures.

A person who obstructs, or otherwise interferes with a local physical planning committee in the execution of its functions commits an offence. 

Therefore, justice should be administered on who committed which offences. Cautious measures should be put in place to protect the physical planning profession, given its impact, relevance, vulnerability and legality. 

What is the opinion of the Uganda Institute of Physical Planners?