THE Harare City Council has introduced tougher regulations governing the establishment of new service stations, including a 1.5km minimum spacing requirement, compulsory public notice boards and mandatory environmental assessments.
The new measures were revealed during a tour of service stations by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development, amid concerns over the proliferation of fuel stations, particularly in residential areas.
Acting director of Urban Planning, Samuel Nyabezi, told the committee that the new policy was designed to bring greater order, safety and public participation to the approval process.
Nyabezi said council now requires that new service stations be located at least 1.5 kilometres apart.
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The minimum stand size has also been set at 2,000 square metres.
The requirement is intended to allow service stations to accommodate ancillary facilities.
"So that we allow service stations to be built together with ancillary structures which may accompany the service station."
Council has also introduced compulsory public notification as part of the approval process.
Applicants are now required to erect a billboard at the proposed site outlining the nature of the application and displaying the relevant plans.
"We now require that the applicant for a service station installs a billboard on the property. The billboard will state the nature of the application, the diagrams pertaining to the application, in this case the diagrams for the service station," Nyabezi said.
The billboard must also notify members of the public and neighbouring property owners of their right to submit objections or representations to the local planning authority.
Council will then consider the submissions before deciding.
"We will listen to any objections or submissions that may come from the neighbors, the public and the other experts because we also circulate the application to various stakeholders. We thoroughly interrogate the application before it is concluded," Nyabezi said.
Applicants must also obtain an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approved by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) before construction can begin.
Approvals from the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) are also required.
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For service stations located near residential areas, the council will enforce minimum separation distances between fuel-related structures and homes.
Where a service station shares a boundary with residential properties, the developer will also be required to construct specified boundary walls.
"We have now become very, thorough. We consult widely between stakeholders, communities and neighborhoods before we come up with a permit. We also consult very widely on traffic issues," Nyabezi said.
He added that service stations could also be established through approved local or layout plans on industrial or commercial land, subject to the same public consultation requirements.
Nyabezi assured the committee that applications would be assessed and determined on their individual merits under the new guidelines.
The council came under scrutiny during the tour as committee members questioned the location of some existing service stations close to residential areas.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development was chaired by Chinhoyi MP Leslie Mhangwa.
