Many state-owned buildings skip Town Planning screening: Hopa

Port Vila City Council (PVCC) Town Clerk, David Hopa, stated that many state-owned buildings have bypassed the scrutiny of the Town Planning Committee. He pointed out that this practice has been going on for years and is in dire need of change.

Town Clerk Hopa said that he has raised with the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning that all building applications, whether private or public, must undergo rigorous scrutiny to ensure compliance with safety and environmental guidelines, as well as zoning laws. He added that while private buildings already follow this process, there is still room for improvement in certain aspects.

According to the existing process, owners or developers are required to submit applications to the Town Planning Department and the Infrastructure Development Department for review by the committee. Based on the review and assessment, the committee will approve or reject the application, with final approval given by the City Council. Hopa emphasized that all buildings should adhere to building codes and be able to withstand any level of tropical cyclone and earthquake.

Yesterday marked the one-month anniversary of the earthquake in Port Vila that caused damage to buildings, including the Customs and Inland Revenue Department, the Prime Minister's Office, the newly built Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, and other government-leased buildings. Hopa stated that while processing building completion reports is not the City Council's responsibility, they want to understand the situation of state-owned buildings.

Town Clerk Hopa also mentioned that the City Council has a draft zoning plan that was originally scheduled for review last December. He said that once the situation stabilizes, they will review the draft, ensuring it considers both earthquake and cyclone impacts. He added, "We realize that we must consider earthquakes because we have only been focusing on cyclones. We need to consider the risks associated with earthquakes."

"We are undertaking a project to redesign Port Vila, taking into account the cracks that have appeared after the earthquake. This will determine which parts of the city can have double-story buildings and which parts can only have single-story buildings." Hopa stated that a detailed urban design plan will be developed after a geotechnical assessment of the central business district is completed.