Greenvale denied planning permission twice

ENERGY Minister Franklin Khan says the housing community now known as Greenvale Housing Development was refused planning permission on two occasions by the Town and Country Planning Division (TCPD) partly because it was on the flood plain of the Caroni River.

He was responding to a question in the Senate on Tuesday from Opposition Senator Wade Mark on the community, which was the one of the hardest hit by severe flooding in October last year.

On Tuesday Khan, speaking on behalf of the Planning Minister, reported planning permission was refused on May 31, 2000 for the development of the land and for a change of use from agricultural homestead to residential use.

He said the reasons were: the site falls within an area which, under planning policy, is allocated for agricultural purposes; the site falls within the flood plain of the Caroni River and is subject to flooding; and the draft East-West Corridor Land Use Strategy Plan identified the site for landscape/river corrosion purposes.

He also reported planning permission was refused on June 26, 2009 for the development of land, the carrying out of building operations, the erection of buildings for single family and multi-family purposes and residential/commercial purposes.

Khan said the reasons were: the site falls within an area which, under (then) present planning policy, was allocated for conservation purposes; the site falls within the flood plain of the Caroni River, where no development can be considered; and the site forms part of a larger parcel of land which does not have the benefit of approval for subdivision as is required under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act.

Khan said, subsequent to receiving correspondence from the TCPD, the director of drainage advised the TCPD by a letter dated November 18, 2011 that since the development of the site was well advanced, it considered and accepted in principle the drainage proposals for phases I-III by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

He reported an application was submitted by the HDC on April 9, 2013 seeking final planning permission but was subsequently withdrawn. In a letter dated May 28, 2014 the HDC submitted revised plans for the subdivision of land to create lots for residential and ancillary purposes.

"The TCPD issued correspondence dated June 18, 2014 indicating that the plans were reviewed and found to be acceptable and they could have been used as the basis for the preparation of final plans to obtain planning permission. It should be noted that at the time, development of the site was substantially completed."

Final planning permission was granted on July 14, 2015, July 15, 2015, January 26, 2016 and May 18, 2016 to retain buildings on lots within the site.

Mark asked if between May 2000 and June 2009 any development work took place on the site.

Khan responded: "As is obvious from my detailed discourse, it is also obvious that...the work on Greenvale commenced just prior to 2009 and continued full speed ahead post-2010."

Mark also asked: "Having regard to what has happened at Greenvale, can the minister indicate whether there is need for a criminal enquiry into this whole scenario that impacted negatively on so many households in that community, given the nature of the lands that you mentioned –agricultural – and it was a flood-prone area?"

Senate President Christine Kangaloo, however, did not allow the question.

In the Senate in January Transport Minister Rohan said issues at Greenvale are complex and require a thorough investigation before the Drainage Division can recommend solutions. He had added both internal and external drainage problems might be the issue.