Photo by Peter Kavanaugh
Traffic along Manchester Road.

MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

"With the good comes the bad", goes the famous adage. In the case of modern-day Manchester, the issues having the most negative impact are those relating to poorly planned development, poor land utilisation and a serious lack of awareness about environmentally sustainable practices by many locals and visitors alike. All of which ultimately lead to the entrenchment of some really bad habits with dire consequences.

Today, all you have to do is ask any Manchestarian about the quality of life. A long list of the many ills will be recited. These include the lack of an adequate water system, environmental pollution by the bauxite companies, rising crime, unemployment, lack of housing, traffic congestion in the townships, lack of entrepreneurial opportunities, poor preservation of historical sites, and so on.

It was against this background that nine years ago, a revolutionary entity was launched under the Reform of Local Government Project.

The Manchester Parish Development Committee (MPDC) currently has a membership spanning the entire parish with stakeholders who are engaged in every conceivable facet of both private and public life.

Ten years later

Following its launch, the MPDC hit the ground running and today, nearly a decade later, has much to boast about. There are two very special documents now in existence - a comprehensive parish profile, as well as a 2030 sustainable development plan, which form part of the legacy of the organisation.

Speaking to The Gleaner, Sam Miller, MPDC manager, explained the role of the committee.

"The original idea was to create an entity that would be non-political in nature and dependent on voluntarism to a large extent. From that, the organisation gives a voice to each and every citizen in so far as the issues relating to both the community and parish," he said.

"The mandate places strong emphasis on the involvement of civil society, and in particular, the coming together with the local parish council. Our members sit on every possible subcommittee that is open to us so that we can filter in community concerns as it relates to various forms of development," he added.

Raising the bar

Miller pointed out that to date, there were possibly only two parishes that did not have an active parish development committee (PDC).

"The good news is that with the formation of a national PDC body over a year ago, with MPDC playing a pivotal role at the administrative level, we are in the process of raising the bar and encouraging all the others to come up to standard so that we can have far greater influence at the level of national policy," explained Miller.

Of course, the experience and achievements of the MPDC seem to be unique when compared with others in operation.

Using many consultations with residents to divide the parish into nine development areas (DAs) or development districts, each district can be classified as an economic zone with its own unique potential.

The Mile Gully development area is a case in point, as this section of the parish consists of 11 communities made up of over 70 districts. With the help of facilitators, such as the Social Develop-ment Commission, the capacity of the local groups was improved.

Miller noted that it was very much the standard for each DA to have a monthly meeting to which stakeholders could carry concerns, observations and suggestions.

That structure has meant that Manchester is now the only parish that has brought planning up to the level of development.

The work of the MPDC has not gone unnoticed, as already, persons seeking information as to what are the "ideal" sorts of development in keeping with the terms of the development framework have been making contact with the office.

- Peter Kavanaugh