Polonnaruwa Urban Development Plan (2021–2030)

The Urban Development Authority is the regulatory apparatus for urban development in Sri Lanka. Thus, the Urban Development Authority Act No. 41 of 1978 seeks to make it the leading urban planning and implementing agency in the country. The Polonnaruwa Urban Development Plan has been published in terms of the powers and functions acquired by the Authority under Section 8 of the Urban Development Authority Act No. 4 of 1982. The mission of the Authority is to implement, coordinate, and develop the economic, social, environmental, and physical development of the declared urban areas. The above prospects were the main intention in formulating this development plan.
The study area of this development plan is located in the Polonnaruwa District of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and in 34 selected Grama Niladhari Divisions. Those areas belong to two local authorities, namely “Polonnaruwa Municipal Council as a whole” and part of “Polonnaruwa Pradeshiya Sabha."
The Town Council Area of Polonnaruwa was first declared as an Urban Development Area in the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 38/16 dated June 10, 1979. Again, the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 1397/1 dated 13.06.2005 amended 56.7 square kilometers of the Thamankaduwa Pradeshiya Sabha area (22 Grama Niladhari Divisions) as an urban area. Therefore, a development plan drafted by the Urban Development Authority for the period from 2008 to 2018 was implemented in this area.
Recently, the Tamankaduwa Pradeshiya Sabha area was divided into two local government institutions, the Polonnaruwa Municipal Council and the Polonnaruwa Pradeshiya Sabha, by the gazette notification dated 19.12.2016. After changing the administrative boundaries of the city and analyzing the development orientation and the impact of development, the Urban Development Authority proposed to expand the urban boundary in 2018.
That is, the Municipal Council area was fully designated (16 Grama Niladhari Divisions), and a part of the Polonnaruwa Pradeshiya Sabha area (18 Grama Niladhari Divisions) was declared as an urban area by the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2084/4 dated 14.08.2018.
Subsequently, this “Polonnaruwa Urban Development Plan 2021 - 2030” was published for that urban area. This development plan covers the overall framework for planning physical development in the Polonnaruwa urban area for the period 2021-2030. Therefore, arrangements have been made in the Polonnaruwa Development Plan 2021-2030 to promote and enforce the physical development and integrated planning of lands and buildings in the Polonnaruwa urban area and to establish infrastructure-related services and facilities for the benefit of the migrant population and residents of Polonnaruwa. This development plan is in effect from 2021 to 2030-12-31, after which it will be subject to necessary updates and revisions.