Urban Planning Committee to be Established for Rapidly Growing San Pedro

Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez says efforts are now underway to establish an urban planning committee for San Pedro Town as authorities seek to prevent haphazard construction and uncontrolled expansion on the island.  Perez’s remarks come on the heels of Cabinet’s recent approval of a six-month moratorium on high-rise construction in four coastal communities, including nearby Caye Caulker, where concerns over development and environmental impacts continue to grow.  Speaking on the issue, Perez said similar planning discussions are now taking place in San Pedro, where rapid expansion and increasing construction activity have raised concerns about the island’s future development trajectory.  Perez explained that the proposed urban planning committee would focus on creating a more structured and sustainable approach to development in San Pedro, with the aim of preserving the island’s character while ensuring growth does not overwhelm infrastructure, traffic systems, and public utilities.

Andre Perez, BRS Area Representative: “Just recently, in fact this week here we had in cabinet the discussion as it relates especially to Ambergris Caye putting everything together. While we don’t want to be having that piecemeal approach okay we’re having problem with structures, yes we do, we’re having problems with docks, we’re having problem with people claiming areas that is illegal, we have squatters, we have people wanting to build when buildings over the water. All of this is coming together and bringing all the relevant departments together. We have discussed in the cabinet, which is very, very important that we come together. Instead of coming in at just one department, we have the CBA coming in, and then we have the DOE coming. We want to be organized and I think that is where we start off and approach thisin a holistic approach to involve CBA, mining, DOE, fisheries department as well, including the Town Council, the building uniform and the Town Council, myself and the office, the health department as well. This is important as well, the Health Department must be involved in there. The police, of course, and the fire department. I think these are the departments where we need to come together so whenever we discuss, we discuss at length all the issues affecting our community because this tongue is really growing by leaps and bounds.”

The current high-rise moratorium follows an earlier one-year freeze on new dock permits introduced in March, signaling what many see as a broader government effort to place tighter controls on coastal development across Belize.  Meanwhile, under the Cabinet decision announced on May 21, new approvals for buildings exceeding forty-five feet in height or more than three floors have been temporarily halted in Caye Caulker Village, Hopkins Village, the Placencia Peninsula, and Sittee River Village. Government says the freeze is intended to allow time for public consultations and technical assessments on the long-term impacts of high-density coastal development.