allAfrica.com: Mauritius: Buffer Zone - Preservation of the Heritage Inspires Harmonious Planning (Page 1 of 1)

Mauritius: Buffer Zone - Preservation of the Heritage Inspires Harmonious Planning

Following expert town planner Karel Bakker's recent visit to Mauritius, the authorities and the technical team of the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund (AGTF) are working on the preparation of a Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) and on the legal status of the Buffer Zone of the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site.

The date of submission of the draft PPG is only some days away, since it is scheduled for January. The issue is vital for the site's conformity to Unesco requirements. But on an even broader scale, the policy it would recommend could help promote better awareness of the long-term benefits of harmonious development in towns.

The preparation of the draft implies extensive fieldwork, notably the photogrammetry of the whole area. It is researcher historian Satyendra Peerthum from the AGTF who will be leading the team through the streets of Port-Louis, covering a perimeter which goes up to the Place d'Armes. Photogrammetry means identifying, taking pictures of and listing the characteristics of all the buildings in the Buffer Zone. "We are undertaking a detailed architectural documentation of more than 250 buildings and structures."

The project will be carried out in January 2008 by a team of 8 experts in architecture and urban landscaping from South Africa and several professionals from the Research Unit of the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund and other government departments. "Furthermore, one of the objectives of the project is to carry out a grading of the buildings in the Buffer Zone based upon Grades I, II and III, the most important ones being the historical and heritage buildings which will have to be saved and preserved."

The Buffer Zone exemplifies the colonization and urban architectural development in Mauritius between the mid-1700s and mid-1900s. "Many of the buildings and structures in the Buffer Zone, especially the national monuments, were built by the labour of slaves, indentured labourers and their descendants." The Buffer Zone thus "forms a cornerstone of our Mauritian cultural heritage and Mauritian identity and has to be preserved for posterity."

Socioeconomic survey under way

In fact, there is in that part of Port-Louis a plethora of national monuments such as the Labourdonnais Hospital, the Postal Museum, the Central Post Office, the Trou Fanfaron Police Station, the Port Louis Central Market, the Stone and Iron Works of the Port Louis Market... "There are also several stone structures which date back to the 19th century located in different parts of the buffer zone." Among them is the Bahemia family house, which was erected circa 1850 and the Peemamode house, dating from that same era. "We have taken aerial pictures of the zone, comparing them to images of the past. Between the 1920s roofs of wooden shingles and the present, the contrast is striking."

"During the course of the last thirty years, there has been an acceleration in the destruction and decay of the important historic and heritage buildings in the Buffer Zone of the Aapravasi Ghat." The bypassing of existing but ineffective recommendations, the absence of support to help owners of old houses and the lack of regard for architectural harmony has led to areas combining mismatches of solid concrete and sometimes tasteless buildings and crumbling structures.

"This is why the alarm has to be sounded and the remaining buildings have to be surveyed and preserved for posterity. It goes without saying that this applies in particular to the national monuments in the Buffer Zone."

But this restoration project could be the launching pad for a better understanding of the values of sustainable development in the urban landscape. A true vision of the inestimable value of the area was put forward by Professor Bakker, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, local authorities and the AGTF team on November 23 and 24.

The development that would be proned in the buffer zone would make space for "development opportunity, pedestrian routes, tourism in the area, parking areas", to name but a few issues mentioned in a document produced by the AGTF.

Some inhabitants and owners in the Buffer Zone have already expressed interest: "The Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund has received some positive feedback from the inhabitants and businessmen in the Buffer Zone", confirms Satyendra Peerthum. A socioeconomic survey is also currently under way which focuses on the business owners and residents of the area.

And local authorities have shown signs of cooperation: "We have received a positive response from the National Heritage Fund, the Prime Minister's Office, the Municipality of Port Louis, the Ministry of Lands and Housing, the State Law Office, the Mauritius Ports Authority and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Hopefully, the other government departments will benefit from the photogrammetry project."

Of course, Port-Louis can hardly be matched in terms of its heritage of historic buildings and the PPG is designed for the Apparavsi Ghat and its surroundings. But having the collaboration of all in a respect for norms would set a standard for subsequent development elsewhere.

During Dr Karel Bakker's previous visit, he insisted that new developments would have to respect their immediate surroundings if we are to achieve a win-win situation. In terms of style and general landscape, it would be in the interests of all to negotiate for example a maximum height near a small building in exchange for say a little more flexibility with the width

"Gradually, the other government departments are becoming aware of the importance of the photogrammetry project." Hopefully this awareness will become inspirational at the national level.

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