Story by Tichaona Kurewa
The City of Victoria Falls has availed its master plan for public scrutiny.
The document outlines the resort city’s development roadmap for the next two decades.
The need to balance development and preservation of nature are key in the plan, considering that the city is surrounded by world heritage sites and wildlife sanctuaries.
The City of Victoria Falls is already on display for public viewing for the next two months before the final draft is sent to the government for approval.
“The major issue that came out during consultation was the need to balance the conservation of nature and the developmental needs. In as much as we would want to expand, we don’t want to encroach too much into restricted zones, especially the World Heritage Site.
“We are not touching it. Everyone was saying no development to the World Heritage Site and all the other protected areas. However, the expansion is expected to go westwards, just a little bit into the parks.We are looking at developing strategically and sustainably,” said the Acting Director Spatial Planning, City of Victoria FallsMs Ntombizami Ncube.
The City of Victoria Falls believes compliance with government directives is key in spurring development.
“We are on time in terms of delivering the final document of our master plan, technically we can say our master plan has been completed.
“This means that we are a local authority that is compliant particularly to the direction and guidance from our parent ministry.
“When you look at issues in the master plan, they speak to Call to Action and no compromise in service delivery as espoused by the President,” City of Victoria FallsTown Clerk, Mr Ronnie Dube said.
The Victoria Falls Master Plan presents a unique opportunity to unlock the full potential of the resort city in terms of tourism and other economic activities.
A master plan being developed through support from the International Finance Corporation will act as the blueprint for achieving this vision by addressing key issues like infrastructure development, responsible tourism practices, environmental protection, and community engagement.
