Governance and Greening of Castries, Saint Lucia

Foro de Cuidades SosteniblesSan Jose , Costa Rica

7th -9th March, 2012

Judith EphraimMinistry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science

and Technology, saint Lucia

Presentation Outline

• Country Profile

• Governance in Saint Lucia

• The City of Castries

• Greening Activities in Castries

• Challenges

• The Way Forward

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2.0 St. Lucia Country Profile

• Volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean

• Located at 13°59´ N, 61° W

• Area-616 km2

• Tropical maritime climate

• Population of 170,000

• Small, open, tourism-based economy

• Rich culture and history

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National Government• St Lucia is a constitutional monarchy with two levels of

government: central and local.

Central Government• The head of state is HM Queen Elizabeth II who appoints

and is represented by a governor-general

• The parliament comprises:- House of Assembly -17 elected members- The Senate -11 members appointed by the Governor

General;

• Prime Minister appoints a cabinet from members of both houses.

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Local Government

Legal Basis• The constitution makes reference to local government but contains no

specific provisions or protection• The main legislation governing local governmentis as follows:-Local Government Ordinance 1947

-Castries Corporation Act 1967.

Structure• 13 administrative divisions, known as ‘quarters’, and one city.• Local authorities within the 13 quarters consist of three town

councils, six village councils and four district councils.

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Local Government-Councils

• Town, village and district councils -Single tier

-Nine (9) appointed members including a chairperson,

-Decisions are made by the full council.

• Castries City Council -Second tier

-Membership of nine appointed councillors including a chairperson,

-Decision-making process is predominantly through sub-committees who report back to the full council

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Local Government

• No elected local government in St Lucia since the last elections in 1979.

• No legal requirement for community involvement in local authority decision-making.

• Local authorities have been encouraged to be involved and to participate in the development process through linkages with other civil society organisations.

• Good relations exist between the various governmental agencies and civil society organisations.

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Local Government• Currently the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Social

Transformation, Local Government and Community Empowerment is responsible for the nomination of all council members.

• Consultations are held with civil society organisations and recommendations are made to the Minister with appointments approved by cabinet.

• The Minister assumes overall responsibility for policy formulation and direction.

• In each local authority, the director of local government functions as the administrative head with the assistance of two local government officers and an administrative clerk

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Local Government

• The Ministry provides support in four areas: advocacy, local level innovation, capacity development and regulation.

• Central government provides institutional support and monitoring to local government authorities

• Finance officers are also appointed to carry out reviews and to ensure adherence to financial regulations

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The City of Castries

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Casties

• Founded1650 as Le “Carenage”• Renamed 1756 as “Castries” Charles Eugène Gabriel de

La Croix de Castries, marquis de Castries • Area of 79km2• No. Households – 1458• No. Of Business Places – 1826• No of Buildings – 1132• Household population - 3661

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Evolution of Castries

• 2000 - a bay enclosed by hills and fringed with mangrove , rich in fish, conch and other seafood. ample fresh water was obtainable from the Castries River –safe refuge for europeans

• Between 1765 and 1768 a new town was built by the Baron de Micoud on the riverside site and called Ville du Carenage. In 1785 this town was named Castries after the Marquis de Castries, Marechal de France

• Current town grew up along the castries river, this was aided by reclamation of the sea, resulting in a smaller bay.

• Destructive fires in 1813, 1927 and 1948 each leveled most of the town again. There was also severe hurricane damage in 1817, 1831 and 1980.

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Castries

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Castries-Local Government

• Before being declared city, Castries governed by a town wardens

• 1851-election of first Mayor• From 1967 Mayors heads Castries City Council• City council election abolished in 1980 and currently

council chairmen appointed by Minister • Mayors, chairmen and councilors have taken care of

business as the legislative authority giving central direction to the council’s employees, through the administrative and managerial command of the Town Clerk

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Castries-Local Government

Castries City Council is the body charged with the overall maintenance and upkeep of the city. Activities include :

• Sanitation ,• City Maintenance,• City Beautification,• City Security,• Parking Spaces,• Oversight of Vendors,

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National Supporting Green Policy Initiatives

• Energy Policy (renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation)

• Environmental Policy and Strategy• Land Policy• Physical Planning Act (zoning, preservation of sites and

buildings of interest, protection of natural areas ,EIAs)• National Conservation Authority Act 1999 ( declaration of

protected areas for beauty, fauna or flora, creating recreational areas

• Urban Policy• National focus on the green economy

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Castries City Council Greening Activities

The functions and responsibilities of local government have been transferred to centralised authorities with many of the services provided carried out in tandem with other governmental agencies e.g ;

•Maintenance of and repairs to roads, sidewalks, footpaths and streets;•Cleaning and de-silting of drains, streets, sidewalks and rivers; •Maintenance of squares, parks and open spaces;• Landscaping and beautification programmes; •Maintenance of public buildings;•Environmental monitoring and development control; •Supervision of solid waste collection;

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Upkeep of Green Spaces e.g Derek Walcott square

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Use of Renewable Energy –Photovoltaic on public buildings

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Castries Vision Plan Direction

• 2007-detailed holistic study on the potential for redevelopment of Castries with a strong green focus including:

• Opening accessibility in northern, southern and eastern area• Preserving community spaces and creating new ones.• Creating a cohesive and impressive waterfront destination.• Expanding residential development• Creating active commercial and industrial districts.• Improvement and expansion of transportation to alleviate areas of

problematic congestion.• Encouraging conservation and creation of protected areas.

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Castries Vision Plan Direction

Possible Greening aspects:• Pedestrianise the three miles of waterfront.•Establish a tram system for mass transportation around the harbour area.•Landscaping and beautification programme.•Water Quality improvement programme – Out flow filtration to ensure clean water only enters the harbour. Sewerage development programme for Castries will remove the dumping of black water.

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Benefits of Greening Castries

Economic, Social and Environmental benefits including:

• Positive impact on tourism

• Supports national policies e,g Land, Water, Energy, Environment, Biodiversity Urban*

• Improved image of City and National Pride

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Challenges to Greening CastriesGeneral• Greening is fairly new concept-acceptance• Will require changes• Limited space, multiple users, need for balance• Greening encompasses many areas-prioritising• Financing for green initiatives

Local Government• Limited financial resources, no revenue collection still

dependent on general public purse.• Local Government needs institutional support, stronger

mandate and ownership

• Newly formed Ministry with the Urban Renewal portfolio 23

The Way Forward

• Review of the Local Government Ordinance 1947 to establish a governing instrument that is appropriate to a

new system of local government in St Lucia. This will include consultations at a local level to include local government authorities and marginalised and minority groups in the various communities on the island.

• Implementation of Greening Strategy for City –holistic, futuristic, realistic, participatory,

• Activation of Integrated Development Planning approach

• Innovative ways of financing greening of the city

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The Way Forward

• Finalisation of Urban Policy

• Enhanced implementation of national policies related to greening

• Need for Science and Technology in planning

• Public awareness and sensitization

• Public-Private Partnerships

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GraciasMerci

Thank You 26