The importance of development plans for development control

-and orderly development of land in an environmentally sound manner to ensure the creation of sustainable human settlements.

The process of land use planning consists in the main of the two twin functions of development/land use planning and development control. Of necessity, these two functions must be supported by relevant research and mapping which are also major components of the land use planning process. Land-use planning does not exist in isolation. It is necessary to view land-use planning as an integral part of the process of national growth and development. Among other things, this process seeks to identify, articulate and satisfy the basic social/human needs of a country’s population within the context of available economic/financial resources and technical knowledge.

People have needs that must be satisfied. For instance, they need housing; jobs; education; opportunities for recreation; transport; and basic services like water, electricity, clean air and health care. Social planning and policies attempt to take care of the basic social needs of the country’s population. Economic planning and policies seek to ensure that the country has a sound economic base which provides revenue to finance government operations and pay for provision of services to the public while also ensuring that jobs are available to the country’s labour force.

Land-use planning seeks to accommodate these needs within a technical and spatial framework. While houses must be built for the population for example, they cannot be provided in a swamp; or an area that is unsuitable for housing development because of its terrain, vulnerability to natural or other disasters, or inability to physically support the building; or in an area that endangers the health and safety of the occupants or other members of the public.

Similarly, economic decisions to focus on tourism, manufacturing industry or agricultural development as the basis of the country’s economic development must be translated into land-use terms. First, each of these activities uses land. Furthermore, some areas of land are more suitable for some types of activities than others and some activities have negative impacts on the terrestrial (land) and/or marine (sea) environments. Also, use of land for one activity often prevents its use for another activity at the same time.

National social and economic needs are identified and articulated by people themselves, by politicians; community groups and sometimes by the technical experts, like land-use planners. These needs are translated into a spatial form or a land-use activity and reflected in land-use plans, policies and development actions. Land-use planning therefore derives from the need to satisfy these needs on the ground, in a rational manner and within a technical framework. It is a crucial part of the process of integrated development planning which includes social and economic planning and reflects their land-use/spatial components.

Land use planning also takes place within a legal context. At this stage, suffice it to say that the legal context provides the justification for undertaking land use planning and sets out the powers and duties of the agency responsible for the planning function needs.

 The development control function seeks to manage and regulate property development to ensure that all development takes place at an appropriate time and place and in such a manner that it conforms to a pre-determined set of policies or standards.

The purpose of development control is not to stop development or to make life difficult for developers or home builders. Instead, the main purpose is to ensure the orderly and rational development of land to create sustainable human settlements that accommodate a variety of land uses to meet the needs of the people who live in these settlements. Development control is the most visible part of the land use planning process and the function with which members of the public - particularly those engaged in the construction and property development industries - interact on a daily basis.