~ Public enquiry on PLU starts October 1 ~
MARIGOT--Residents of St. Martin are asking the Collectivité to modify the Plan Locale Urbanisme (PLU) of June 25, 2015, claiming the Collectivité did not take into consideration the numerous concerns presented by potentially-affected communities.
"There are many St. Martin property owners who do not desire to have their land reclassified and the end result of such action is to be compensated with overpopulation instead," wrote Jimmy Hodge of Grand Case in the petition preamble.
"The St. Martin people do not want their identity to disappear and their way of life to become devalued because of low-income housing being constructed next to their homes.
"The increase in such overgrowth through low-income buildings will not integrate well and a substantial increase in overpopulation within a confined area will not be conducive to the natural landscape. ...
"There are numerous investors who wish to remain in St. Martin and have either constructed or purchased properties that cater to the tourism product. They continue to make upgrades with an expectation that they will see a return on investment so they can continue to operate their establishments. They do not wish to see the value of their properties and investments reduced significantly as a result of low-income housing being constructed next to their properties.
"Repeat tourists visit St. Martin often for the charm of the natural landscape, the urban aspect, neighbouring hillsides and beauty of districts that invested in developing tourist accommodations. These returning tourists make significant contributions to these establishments and continue to develop the economy by creating jobs."
The link to the petition is:
The public enquiry on the PLU will take place from Thursday, October 1, to Friday, October 30, 2015.
The document will be available at the Urbanism Department, 6, Fort Louis Road, between 8:00am and 3:00pm from Monday to Friday.
The Commissioner/Investigator will be available for consultation on October 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 10:00am to 1:00pm and 2:30 to 4:00pm, and on Friday, October 30, from 10:00am to 1:00pm and 2:30 to 4:00pm.
The Territorial Council is due to adopt the PLU definitively in December 2015 once amendments have been completed, for it to come into force in 2016.
