Halcrow Group Greater Port of Spain Technical Report

2.1 Study Area

The study area comprises the whole of the City of Port of Spain Corporation area and parts of the Regional Corporation areas of Diego Martin to the north west and San Juan/Laventille to the east. It extends from Cocorite along Western Main Road around Upper Bourne’s Road, Dibe and the lower Maraval Valley to St Ann’s/Cascade, Belmont and Laventille/Morvant near the boundary with Barataria on Eastern Main Road and the Beetham Highway.

In planning terms the choice of study area reflects the access and services linkages between the northern ring of hillside communities and dormitory residential suburbs, the outer transitional zone of mixed residential, commercial and recreation/cultural uses (Woodbrook/Newtown/Savannah) and the inner core of commerce, business and retailing (Downtown/Uptown).

Although the area is physically constrained between the lower slopes of the Northern Range and the Gulf of Paria, spontaneous housing encroachment (of all types) continues on the hillsides and waterfront development is being promoted on reclaimed land into the Gulf. Apart from these incursions however, and the penetration of commercial uses into established residential areas like Woodbrook, potential for future large-scale growth would be mainly along the Beetham transport and industrial corridor eastwards towards Arima.

The Conceptual Plan proposals prepared for Greater Port of Spain recognised these constraints and proposed a balanced future growth strategy, which allowed for some decentralisation from the city and some growth in the urban corridor to the east.

2.2 Land Use Overview - Opportunities and Pressures

2.2.1 Downtown - the Commercial Core

With increasing economic activity and prosperity the Port of Spain area has been undergoing continuous change, as is to be expected in a vibrant and regionally important city. The city’s role remains predominant in terms of retailing, banking and finance and Government offices. It is not only the Capital City and seat of national government, but also is the centre of commerce and culture for the country and retains many buildings of heritage, as well as new structures of note.

Although the Downtown/Uptown area has a special and distinctive character, it has continued to lose its permanent residential base, which has contributed in part to a lengthening in journeys to work and a change in social character, particularly after work hours and at weekends.

The decline in resident population coupled with the presence of some large vacant and derelict sites are conspiring to give parts of the city centre a run-down and neglected feel.

2.2.2 The Port and Waterfront

The Port, including the cruise ship complex, ferry terminal and cargo berths is of particular national and economic significance and adds a distinctive character to the downtown area. This major transportation hub is to be complemented by a commercial waterfront redevelopment including offices, cultural and residential uses which will help revitalise this part of the capital region and reinforce the city’s role both nationally and regionally.

Careful and integrated planning and implementation at the interfaces of existing and proposed developments e.g. along and adjacent to Wrightson Road and Independence Square will be needed to sustain and enhance this character.

2.2.3 Uptown/Newtown

Within the city limits but beyond the downtown-uptown core, a dynamic real estate picture is emerging as pressures for office and related commercial developments are experienced in Woodbrook and Newtown, and especially around the fringes of the Savannah, much at the expense of traditional housing.

St James with its blend of leisure, institutional and residential uses continues to evolve in its own special way, sometimes treading a fine line between going up and down market in terms of townscape and ambience.

2.2.4 The Residential Catchment

Surrounding the Downtown/Uptown areas, a number of largely self-standing residential communities have grown up between and sometimes along the hillside ridges, each with particular social and built-form characteristics. These include Cocorite, Upper Bournes Road, Dundonald Road and Dibe, the lower Maraval Valley, St Clair/ Federation Park/Ellerslie, St Ann’s/ Cascade, Belmont, East Dry River and Laventille/Morvant. To different degrees these communities act as dormitories to the Downtown/Uptown areas and draw benefit from their proximity to the employment, cultural and social attractions offered.

However in some communities such as Laventille, topographical constraints coupled with the largely unplanned nature of much of the development have conspired to restrict the integrated provision of physical and social infrastructure to the extent that many properties are without standard levels of public health provision.

2.2.5 The Transportation System

The city benefits from a good network of primary highways and major public transport routes, especially in and around the central area, which was laid out in a grid-iron pattern thus helping to disperse traffic evenly over some four square kilometres.

Major arteries run into the city from the west, from Chaguaramas, Diego Martin and West Moorings - a rapidly growing commercial sub-centre, from the northern hillsides and Maraval including housing and recreational areas as far as the North Coast Road and from the east, along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway/Eastern Main Road corridor including the suburb of Barataria, Arima and the new international airport complex at Piarco.

The success of Port of Spain and the concentration of commercial activities in a relatively small and compact downtown area bring with it the pressures of congestion, delay and environmental degradation, including traffic-related noise and air pollution.

Typically in port cities, these pressures are compounded by the location of the main maritime activities in the heart of the downtown area along the major artery into and out of the city. With worldwide increases in containerisation and related heavy goods vehicle traffic, such pressures are likely to be exacerbated in future.

Transportation links through the study area especially around the Savannah and to a lesser extent St James are tending to create significant areas of stress requiring priority action.

In all these areas, land use, transport and environmental problems are growing and need to be subjected to detailed planning and consultation, control and enhancement in the short term, if more far-reaching problems are to be averted.

2.2.6 Infrastructure and Utilities

Nationally water supply production does not equal the demand and wastage. The distribution system serving greater Port of Spain is however by and large reasonably robust. It is believed that it will be reasonably simple to meet the water requirements of any development that might take place.

A small number of areas, particularly in the upper reaches of valleys suffer from poor service. A few communities within the study area do not have a pipe-borne water supply at present. To remedy this pipe –upgrading is planned and water storage tanks are to be provided at Maraval, Dundonald, Hololo, St Barbs, Redhill and Morvant.

Some flooding occurs where drains first enter the formal channel system, at locations where channel gradient abruptly gets less steep on entering reclaimed areas, and at locations that are very near to sea level. Channel capacity is generally about adequate for their hydraulic design load but the fact that they also carry a heavy sediment and debris load causes problems.

(Unplanned) development of steep slopes and areas upstream of the formal drainage system contribute to increased flood flows and, more importantly, to increased removal of debris and sediment that blocks channels lower down. Poor maintenance exacerbates this

Current policy to conserve the existing runoff regime requires individual developers to compensate for increased and accelerated runoff by installing temporary flood detention within their own projects. This approach will result in maintenance problems and ignores the ongoing unplanned development.

Sewage drains to the Beetham sewage treatment works. Some residences not connected to the sewage system are situated on steep slopes where the use of septic tanks, pit latrines and cesspits can create a nuisance and health hazard for downhill residents. In areas not served by sewers, grey water is generally discharged to open drains, presenting a health nuisance and odour and mosquito hazards.

Solid waste is collected and disposed to the Beetham landfill site. Unplanned and inaccessible areas are poorly served leading to garbage being discarded or burnt near homes. The Beetham site is poorly designed and inadequately managed leading to significant environmental problems.

There should be no difficulty meeting electricity demands in the Greater Port of Spain area in the foreseeable future. Gas mains run along the Beetham Highway, Wrightson Road, Foreshore Highway and Western Main Road to West Mall. A main branches off from this to run along the Maraval River and the through St. Clair, to the Savannah, skirting the south side of the Savannah to end at Hilton Hotel.

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