Residents hear of Belleville plan

OFFICIALS FROM the Town Planning Department and the Ministry of Transport and Works have met with residents of Belleville to discuss a development plan for the area.
The near three-hour town hall meeting took place on Wednesday night at The St Michael School. Around 70 people turned up and expressed concerns about garbage collection; commercial building overdevelopment; flooding; high sidewalks; residential building regulations; traffic and parking management, and more.
After the meeting, Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins said the draft Belleville Local Area Plan was not about changing the design of Belleville but about maintaining and enhancing it.
 “From 1986 we had identified Belleville as an area which can make the transformation from a strictly residential area to a residential and commercial one. “We plan to maintain the area as a cultural heritage area, so we are seeking to improve the streetscape, control the stormwater run-off and manage traffic,” he said.
Member of Parliament for St Michael South Central Richard Sealy also attended the meeting. He said: “I think it is a very good initiative, and I am in full support of the proposal, but the issue of residents and businesses has to be balanced as we need more residential areas,” he said. (CA)