Representatives from urban planning firm Cittanova visit Grand Case as part of ongoing studies for the future development plan PADSM for St. Martin.
MARIGOT--Representatives from urban planning firm Cittanova recently visited St. Martin for the second time to continue work on the Plan d’Aménagement et de Développement de Saint-Martin (PADSM), a plan for sustainable development over the next ten years.
Cittanova has been working on development of the PADSM for nine months so far. The first on-site visit dates back to January 2020. Initially scheduled for March 2020, the second visit was cancelled due to the lockdown and replaced by several video conferences in order not to lose time in the elaboration of the diagnosis launched at the beginning of the year.
The first stage consisted of carrying out an overall diagnosis of the territory which was presented to Territorial Councillors on Thursday, September 24, as well as to the four district council representatives during presentation meetings held between September 25 and 28.
Other stages of work, essentially based on elaboration of the project and consultation around the PADSM, are already scheduled between October 2020 and March 2021.
Cittanova is a firm based in Nantes, specialising in urban planning, architecture and environment. During their presentations to local elected officials and neighbourhood councils, Cittanova representatives Lise Legargasson and Jérôme Lovadina presented the overall approach adopted by the Collectivité, the challenges of the PADSM project and the consultation methods to be used.
The elaboration phase provides for a diagnosis to be carried out through collective reflection on housing, equipment and services, transport, mobility, the economy, agriculture, the environment, the living environment and urban factors.
The Collectivité must clearly express its plans for St. Martin. These elements together make it possible to design urban development plans and environmental assessments to build the development plan and translate the PADSM project into regulations.
The field visit organised in the presence of elected officials and technicians of the Collectivité, representatives of Semsamar and partners, enabled Cittanova to discover the territory and its potential, to exchange with local business people on structuring projects and to identify the particular characteristics of certain areas of the territory.
The visit began with Marigot and presentation of the waterfront project, followed by French Quarter, Orient Bay, Cul-de-Sac, Grand Case, Sandy Ground and Lowlands. Thanks to this overall vision, Cittanova is aware of high-potential locations and promising tourism development projects that will be translated into the future PADSM.
“This stage is crucial in order to target the real potential of St. Martin and to arrive at a complete and detailed diagnosis,” commented President Daniel Gibbs. “The path towards a ready-to-use PADSM in line with the territory’s needs requires several stages of work and consultation. The constraints linked to the future natural risks prevention plan PPRN will also have to be taken into account in this future urban development plan.”
