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Compiled by Edward Arambewala

A new Urban Development Plan for Kandy

Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama inaugurating the workshop

Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) presented a new Urban Development Plan for Kandy, at a Regional Workshop of the Institute held recently in Kandy.

Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama opened the two day workshop on August 27 at Queens Hotel, Kandy at which the development plan drawn by Chartered Architect Landscape and Conservation Consultant Ashley de Vos was presented.

In his development plan Architect de Vos states, "The success of the Urban Plan can only come-out of a political will together with firm decisions, implemented in a positive and sensitive manner.

Here's a summery of the development plan presented.

Summary of the Kandy Development Plan 2002-2016

Kandy town to be identified as the second important town next to Colombo in the national context, as it is the last Kandyan Kingdom and it has been identified as one of the "World Heritage Cities".

- This town to be treated as a first order town next to Colombo in the National Hierarchical order of towns.

- Kandy town to be treated as a provincial capital for administration, commercial, health and educational activities.

- The central location of this town make it a major transit center. Rail and public, private transport system to be orderly developed by improving and proposing a major transport terminal.

- The proposed Colombo-Kandy expressway to be developed to improve the travel time to 1 1/2 hours journey from the city of Colombo to Kandy and to improve the economic standard of Kandy town.

- Four satellite towns to be developed on the outer ring road identified in the Greater Kandy Plan to ease the congestion within the town limits.

- The industrial Estate and the Free Trade Zone in Pallekele to be developed as a counter magnet to Kandy Town. Proposed Kandy-Colombo expressway will facilitate those industrial areas. However, the transport system to be arranged via Madawala, Katugastota to proposed highway through traffic via Kandy town to the Industrial zone to minimized.

Area of the Kandy Development Plan

The area of the Kandy Development Plan is 2,645 hectares, which has been declared as Kandy Municipal area. The city limits has to be expanded as the Greater Kandy area has been identified by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) for Planning and Buildings regulations purposes.

Key issues taken into consideration for preparation of the Development Plan.

1) Kandy Town has been taken as an entity within the Greater Kandy Area Development Plan.

2) The limited land within the Municipal area has been zoned to protect the green environment and to maintain a sustainable development for the next fifteen years. Gradually a planned development is directed and enforced towards the peripheral areas identified in the greater Kandy Plan.

3) Strict guidelines are formulated in the planning regulations in order to protect construction on steep slopes and the areas above 2000 from the mean sea level. Those identified areas to be replanted with trees to protect as watershed areas.

4) Very essential low-lying areas to be conserved as Green areas, for water retention purposes. A plan has been prepared to protect the low lying areas as green fields. No filling is allowed in those lands. (Existing paddy fields).

5) River reservations and canal reservations have been identified as green belts and as linear parks.

6) Sustainable population to be kept within the town limits by enforcing the regulations and direct the others to the identified residential zones in the Greater Kandy area, for settlement.

7) Disperse the Educational Institutions, Health Institutions, Industrial estates into the identified satellite towns and improve Kandy town limits as a tourist destination.

Population projections

The projected population for the Kandy Municipal area to be restricted to 150,000 by the year 2016.

The infrastructure facilities to be planned for the influx population of about 150,000 people daily to the town. Mainly, tourists, and for others who come for various activities like commercial, and administrative functions.

Proposed zoning

The area of the Kandy Municipal limits has 2,510 hectares in 1997, and it has increased to 2,645 hectares in the year 2000.

The zoning plan will emphasize the changes done to the existing land use, in order to safeguard a Sustainable Environment and protect the sacred areas identified for future generations.

The major issues of land use in the existing and proposed areas are the introduction of a water shed conservation zone for the Kandy Lake Catchment area, enforcing a nature conservation zone, and a special sacred area zone, in order to preserve the natural scenic locations and to maintain a Sustainable Development for next two decades.

- Zoning plan has been taken as a tool to control the haphazard developments within the town.

- Identification of primary residential areas and encouraging apartment blocks and increase the residential densities in those areas.

- Identifying the low-income areas as special development zones special guidelines have been introduced. Apartment blocks to be developed with the assistance of UDA, NHDA, KMC and the private parties.

- Introduction of a Special Commercial Zone to establish most popular car sales centers has been introduced, as commercial zone IV, in the proposed zoning plan.

- Enforcement of special guidelines in the Commercial zone I, to protect the Grid City as a tourist attraction and to conserve the Heritage City character.

- Maintain and conserve the existing Agricultural, open spaces and recreational zones as demarcated in the zoning plan.

- To strictly enforce the planning, zoning guidelines and development regulations for the Kandy town as gazetted.

Transport plan

- An expressway combining Colombo the Capital City to Kandy is a vital proposal which is in the stream line, and to be implemented as a National task within next two years. (Feasibilities have been completed by a group of experts from Sweden).

- The Development Plan for Kandy town has been prepared considering the proposed outer ring road, and inner ring road identified as by-pass roads to avoid the congestion in the C.B.D.

- The existing Railway to be upgraded and electrified if possible, within next fifteen years as a major transport system for passengers as well as goods. Specially Kandy, Matale - Dambulla extension.

- A major Transit Centre to be proposed to combine train and bus passengers with modern commercial facilities as a major action project, which has to be implemented within next five years.

- Multi storied parking facilities to be introduced within the C.B.D. (900 parking bays). A multi storied car park project has been planned to ease the parking problem in the town.

- Street parking to be completely prohibited in the grid-city area or in the Commercial Zone I.

- Strict regulations to be enforced to regularise the proposed zoning plan along William Gopallawa Mawatha in order to make it a speedy access to the town. If possible to introduce fly over at Getambe railway, level crossing.

- Back lanes to be re-developed for pedestrian's uses. Side drains to be introduced and roads to be developed by laying cobbled stones.

Economy and Employment

- The Development Plan will create a planned environment to increase the Tourism Sector within the town area. It will create job opportunities for younger generations as well as the handicraft industry in and around the town. Hotels, restaurants, cultural centers would be benefited.

The increased facilities in cultural centers, arts and crafts establishments, Kandyan dancing, cultural pageants will create additional income for the resident population.

- The proposed major 'transit center' will create more employment in the tertiary sector in the C.B.D.

- Additional commercial facilities have been introduced by maximising the commercial floor area within the C.B.D.

Health/Education

The health and educational facilities are saturated in the town area. Further development of these institutions within the K.M.C. limits to be discouraged.

*****

Kandy Development Plan :

Activities to be relocated from the Central Business District

1. Fuel filling station of the C.B.D at Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe Mawatha.

2. Torrington shipping area to be relocated and converted for an access for the public parking area.

3. Fire Brigade, K.M.C. Workshops at Mosque Road to be relocated paving way to the civic center.

4. Bogambara Prison to be relocated at Pallekele. the existing prison buildings to be conserved and converted to a 'Cultural Complex' with parking facilities, pedestrian malls and pedestrian squares.

5. Remand Prison to be taken closer to the proposed courts complex at William Gopoallawa Mawatha.

6. Lawyers offices at C.B.D to be taken to proposed lawyers office at William Gopallawa Mawatha.

7. Army Headquarters at Yatinuwara Vidiya, Army Post near Vishnu Devalaya to be relocated at Pallekele.

8. Wholesale trade activities from Colombo Street to be taken to Katugastota area.

9. Primary School located at Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe Mawatha to be relocated.

10. Police quarters closer to the Department of Education at Station Road to be relocated.

11. All channelling centers at Peradeniya Road next to Wembley Theatre to be relocated.

12. The slaughter house at Suduhumpola to be relocated at Gohagoda.

13. Wholesale vegetable market at Kandy to be relocated in the new wholesale complex at Katugastota.

*****

Picking House Colours

Tips To Help You Choose

The names are enough to make your head spin. Choosing a paint colour becomes even more baffling when you consider that most homes use at least three different shades - one for the siding and two or more for trim and accents such as doors, railings and window sashes.

A well-chosen selection of contrasting trim and accent colours can draw attention to architectural details and disguise design flaws. A poor selection can make a house seem flat and featureless - Or so garish that the colour overwhelms the architecture. But, how do you decide?

Here are a few pointers to guide you as you choose house paint colours.

Historic authenticity

If you are planning to paint an older home, you have three options

You can hire a pro to analyze old paint chips and recreate the original colour.

You can refer to historic colour charts and select shades that might have been used at the time your home was built.

Or, you can fly in the face of history and choose bright modern colours to dramatize architectural details.

The third option can produce startling and exciting results. But before you buy 10 gallons of bubblegum pink, it's a good idea to look at what your neighbours are doing.

Neighbourhood context

A fluorescent coloured Victorian that looks splendid in San Francisco will seem wildly out of place in more conservative neighbourhoods. Even if you are opting for a more subtle scheme, you'll want to make sure that your colours are compatible with the houses next door.

Existing colours

Your house is your canvas, but it is not blank. Some colours are already established.

What colour is your roof? Is there mortar or other siding that will not be painted? Will doors and railings remain their existing colours? New paint does not need to match existing colours, but it should harmonize.

Interior colours

It may seem comical to paint entire house based on the pattern of a pillow case, but this approach does make sense. The colour of your furnishings will guide you in the selection of your interior paint colours, and your interior paint colours will influence the colours you use outside. Once again, your goal is to harmonize.

Accents

Depending on the size and complexity of your home, you may be choosing two, three or as many as six colours. In addition to the colour you select for siding, you'll want to select accent colours for trim and details such as shutters, moldings and columns. This can be tricky, because too many colours will overwhelm your house and too few will make it seem two dimensional.

Darks and lights

Light colours will make your house seem larger. Dark siding or dark bands of trim will make your house seem smaller, but will draw more attention to details. Darker shades are best for accenting recesses, while lighter tones will highlight details which project from the wall surface. On traditional Victorian homes, the darkest paint is often used for the window sashes.

Harmony and contrast

Contrasting colours will draw attention to architectural details. But, extreme contrasts will clash and actually detract from details.

To be safe, consider staying within a single colour family. For some accents, try using a darker or lighter shade instead of a different colour.

Balance

A burst of a single colour on just one part of your home may give it a lopsided appearance. Strive to balance colours over the entire building.

Durability

The more intense a colour, the more likely it is to fade. After a few years, vivid blues and deep reds will seem more subdued. Dark colours also pose more maintenance problems. Dark colours absorb heat and suffer more moisture problems than lighter shades. And because dark paint fades, it's difficult to touch up.

Sheen

You thought you only had to pick colours? Sorry! In addition, you'll also need to decide on the sheen of your paint - glossy, semi-gloss or flat. The glossier the surface, the more likely it is to show imperfections, brush strokes and touch up marks. On the other hand, glossy surfaces are easier to clean. Many homeowners opt to use flat paint for walls and semi-gloss or glossy paint for columns, railings and window sashes.

Colour deceptions

Colour swatches look very different when they are brought out of the store and viewed in natural sunlight. Also, colours appear lighter on large surfaces than they do on small samples. It's best to test your selected colour in one area before buying gallons of paint.

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