Development speeds up in Kokopo

 KOKOPO is referred to as the fastest growing town in the country, East New Britain physical planning board executive officer Trudy Waninara says.

Waninara said that was justified by the increasing number of development applications before the board.

She said the Physical Planning Act 1989 stipulated that the board must meet four times a year but the provincial physical planning board met every month.

Waninara said major development applications were referred to as special board meetings.

“One can see how much development is occurring in Kokopo and in the province,” she said last week.

“In one meeting, we can have 20 to 25 applications and already in the past three months, we have deliberated on 55 applications and by the end of this year we will have looked at more than 100 files of development in Kokopo.”

Waninara said about 95% of development applications were for Kokopo town.

She said, Kokopo, Rabaul, Palmalmal and Warangoi were declared physical planning areas and all planning in those towns was the responsibility of the physical planning board.

She said compliance was becoming an issue, with the office and building board.