The creation of a local plan for North East Hamilton is a vital project for the area, the Island and the Department of Planning.

And according to planner Cory Brown, the approach could also be used in other areas across the Island that are interested in community planning.

“This is a cornerstone project for this area, the Department, and the Island,” Mr Brown said. “Upon completion it will put into place a plan for the North East Hamilton neighbourhood that has been ‘in the works’ for an extended period of time with a number of great ideas thus far in large part due to the hard work and vast contribution of the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and the Design Roundtable.

“This will also be a model the Department can use to engage other neighbourhoods or parishes that are interested in participating with community planning and/or creating a local plan for their areas with the same type of public participation.”

According to Mr Brown, of the Forward Planning Section, local plans help to create a broad vision for the community from a land use perspective.

Planners develop a plan through analysis of data and identification of goals for the community or the project, and help the community and its various groups identify their goals and form a particular vision.

In the creation of a plan, planners identify the strategies by which the community can reach its goals and vision.

Earlier this year, the Department of Planning encouraged residents, as well as property and business owners in North East Hamilton to take part in a two-month consultation and collaboration exercise to bring out thoughts and ideas about the future of the neighbourhood.

In recognition of World Town Planning Day the Department will today be hosting an open house to showcase the work and public contribution towards creating the local plan.

Mr Brown said: “The approach that we are utilising is called a Form Based Code, which is a participatory process that enables all stakeholders to provide input before the plan is written.

“Public participation is the fundamental element necessary to make this and other projects a success; input from all stakeholders is absolutely vital to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and then to establish a road map or plan for the future.

“We are inviting the public to view the ideas gathered so far and to offer additional feedback towards the goal of reaching a consensus for the policies that will be included in the plan. We hope to get more people involved who would like to contribute to this planning effort.”

The Department also held a series of workshops over the summer to introduce the planning initiative and obtain stakeholder input.

According to Mr Brown, the BEDC is the impetus for the planning effort within North East Hamilton, in conjunction with the Economic Empowerment Zone initiative designed to provide resources to assist existing businesses, start new businesses and generally uplift the community.

“In order to do so a plan was initiated to identify opportunities that could enhance and improve conditions within the neighbourhood,” Mr Brown added.

The Department of Planning partnered with the BEDC and the Corporation of Hamilton to work towards creating a final, adopted plan for this community, which will parallel the new City of Hamilton Plan 2015.

Mr Brown said: “The characteristics of this planning area which comprises the north east corner of the City of Hamilton are predominantly residential, with interspersed businesses throughout the neighbourhood and Court Street identified as the cultural and retail centre.

“As such, it differs from the physical characteristics of the remainder of the city and presents us with an opportunity to recognise its uniqueness.”

Mr Brown added that after the open house, the Department, along with the BEDC and the Corporation of Hamilton, will draft the policies for the plan and then provide another opportunity for comments and review by the stakeholders. The plan will then be presented to the Cabinet and Legislature for review, comments, and approval.

• For more information visit www.planning.gov.bm