Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Development Plan (2021-2030)

A Development plan is a legally recognized written document which comprise of guidelines for managing the physical, social, economic, and environmental resources of the considered area as it directs towards sustainable development and guide the stakeholders (specially the resident population) in regards of the development activities. In terms of the powers of Section 3(I) and 3(II) of the Urban Development Authority Act No. 41 of 1978 of the National State Assembly, the Minister in charge, the subject of urban development may declare certain area as an urban development area and provisioned to delegate power to prepare development plans for such area, for Urban Development Authority (hereinafter referred to as UDA) under the provisions of act no 8 (a) of the Urban Development Authority (Amendment) act No 4 of 1982. By the Gazette Notification No. 941/9 on 30th September 1978, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte was declared as an urban development area and Moreover, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte was declared as the capital of Sri Lanka by the gazette no. 335/5 of 6th February, 1985. Accordingly, in 1982 under the guidance of the Ministry of Provincial Administration, Housing and Construction, Urban Development Authority prepared a development plan for capital city of Sri Lanka which is known as “Sri Jayawardenapura Development Plan” (Selalihiniya Selasma), and which covered Kotte Municipality, a part of Kaduwela Municipality and part of Maharagama Urban Council area as its planning boundary. Such attempt was convinced as the prepared plan in 2008 and had been inspected to expire its set validity time. Consequently, with amendments done focused at sustainable development in perspectives of physical, social, economic, and environmental resources of the considered area, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Development Plan has been brought forward with the targeted implementation during 2022 – 2031. This Plan is driven by the strategic planning approach and it has been well-formulated leveraging existing potentials and resources of the mentioned area and setting the utmost priority at implementing sustainable solutions for raised complicated issues which have thoroughly been seeking for a comprehensive outlook over decades. Such a strategic approach is much convincing for a typical sustainable planning solution over the traditional planning methods, as its obvious concern at dynamical nature of planning perspectives throughout the planning process, which has the potentiality either to drive any proposed development plan towards success or failure. Furthermore, with special inclination at land development, being one major significance of the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Development Plan 2021-2030, and UDA envisions a comprehensive spatial development for combined aspects of physical, environmental, and socio-economy in the planning area, to be achieved through strategic interventions