Shirley Park Re-Zoning Objectors Speak Out:
A Public Hearing on the rezoning of Shirley Park was held at the Fiji Sugarcane Growers Hall Lautoka on the 2nd February 2015. The objectors have called for a fresh hearing based on the following issues which must be addressed by The Director of Town and Country Planning:
(1) The objectors were not properly informed of the hearing. Only two of the five objectors were notified.
(2) A petition with more than 500 signatures was not included as one of the objectors called, and there was confusion on the part of Town and Country Planning in having the wrong reference.
(3) The public at large should have been properly informed about the public hearing as this concerns a civic entity
(4) In the advertisement in the Fiji Sun, 4 August 2014, the public was informed only of the proposed rezoning of (part of) Lot 1 ND5149 of Shirley Park; however in the week before the hearing, the 5 objectors have since been informed that (part of) DP 1805 which is also in Shirley Park, has now been included and attached to the original area to be rezoned
(5) By restricting public notices to the one newspaper the FIJI Sun, information is not being disseminated to the public at large. Had all media outlets been used, the likelihood of a larger number of objections would have been heard.
The objectors also question why some of the public at the hearing were told they were not permitted inside the hearing and then proceeded to leave, this before others were finally allowed into the hall. Why were news reporters also not allowed in?
A Public Hearing on the rezoning of Shirley Park was held at the Fiji Sugarcane Growers Hall Lautoka on the 2nd February 2015. The objectors have called for a fresh hearing based on the following issues which must be addressed by The Director of Town and Country Planning:
(1) The objectors were not properly informed of the hearing. Only two of the five objectors were notified.
(2) A petition with more than 500 signatures was not included as one of the objectors called, and there was confusion on the part of Town and Country Planning in having the wrong reference.
(3) The public at large should have been properly informed about the public hearing as this concerns a civic entity
(4) In the advertisement in the Fiji Sun, 4 August 2014, the public was informed only of the proposed rezoning of (part of) Lot 1 ND5149 of Shirley Park; however in the week before the hearing, the 5 objectors have since been informed that (part of) DP 1805 which is also in Shirley Park, has now been included and attached to the original area to be rezoned
(5) By restricting public notices to the one newspaper the FIJI Sun, information is not being disseminated to the public at large. Had all media outlets been used, the likelihood of a larger number of objections would have been heard.
The objectors also question why some of the public at the hearing were told they were not permitted inside the hearing and then proceeded to leave, this before others were finally allowed into the hall. Why were news reporters also not allowed in?
CAUGHT OUT: The Director of Town and Country Planning was forced to respond after she was informed that Romit Meghji was planning to commence building in Shirley park - Losana Rokotuibau believed the protestors were in the dark, so she had sat on documents for four and half months - when caught out, she claimed she had memory lapse, forgot to inform the protestors-was her forgetfulness bloody intentional?
Protestors still delaying the TOAST!
