Fiji’s Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo called for prudent planning of the country’s cities, avoiding messy development and one that accommodates growth.
“The primary goal is to ensure that these plans are formulated with a judicious and forward-looking approach, anticipating economic growth and allowing ample room for strategic growth,” Vosarogo told the Trustees of Vitogo Development, the Divisional Planning Officer Western Division and Lautoka City Council reps during a meeting in Lautoka yesterday.
“We have to avoid ad hoc development where things are done in a mish mash, industrial zones right next to residentials that may present hazards when developments are not monitored properly. In some quarters, this shows that city plans did not anticipate population growth and aggressive economic drivers and the huge rural to urban drifts like we have had for the past two decades.”
Vosarogo envisions Lautoka and Suva becoming appealing destinations with new opportunities.
“Your job is to get together, pull in your designs, ambitions and plan that observes environmental thresholds and overlay it with a futuristic perspective to attract people and businesses to your city.”
In Lautoka he said the Lautoka Foreshore can be a legacy development for BPOs, integrated tourism, shopping malls, eaters and fish and diving outlets, an initiative they could pursue with the qoliqoli owners.
“We want to ensure foreshore development in Suva and Lautoka that attracts tourism. I feel tourists are coming to see the same things in the usual hotspots. We want to provide something new in these two cities that will make tourists visit Suva and Lautoka.”
