Chiredzi plans 2-storey buildings for CBD

Chiredzi Town Council is proposing a new Building Construction Policy that will require all new buildings in the central business district (CBD) to have at least two storeys and predominantly glass frontages.

Director of Spatial Planning Dr Yvonne Munanga said the policy was intended to improve the town's built environment, regulate construction and promote orderly commercial and high-density residential development.

The policy is expected to come into effect by the end of 2026, subject to the completion of statutory public consultations and stakeholder engagements.

"The Building Construction Policy states that all types of new buildings which we expect in the new CBD will be dominated by glass frontages and a minimum of two storeys," said Munanga.

She said the council would no longer approve new developments that failed to meet the proposed standards, although existing single-storey buildings had been constructed under earlier regulations.

Chiredzi, the sugarcane-growing and processing centre, is the second-largest urban centre in Masvingo Province after Masvingo city. Its commercial centre is largely characterised by ageing, single-storey buildings and old row housing, with multi-storey structures estimated to account for about five percent or less of the total.

The Department of Spatial Planning has also drafted an Urban Renewal Policy, which has been submitted to council for approval.

Under the proposed policy, the local authority intends to upgrade ageing and dilapidated buildings at the town's two operational bus termini, which are located within the commercial zone.

Munanga said the policy would guide redevelopment efforts and provide a framework for engaging property owners and the business community.

"Our bus termini fall under the commercial zone and now constitute old and dilapidated buildings. After its approval, we will engage the business community, and we had already approached some of them," she said.

According to Munanga, most property owners who had been approached had welcomed the proposed improvements, which are expected to enhance the town's appearance and potentially increase property values.

The Department of Spatial Planning is responsible for land-use planning, preparing master plans and local development plans, controlling development and approving building plans in line with its statutory mandate under the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act (Chapter 29:12).

The department also conducts topographic, cadastral and tachymetric surveys and is progressively incorporating Geographic Information Systems and digital mapping technologies to improve spatial data management and evidence-based planning.

Munanga said that while the proposed policies represented a pioneering initiative for the Lowveld region, other local authorities, including Harare, Masvingo and Chinhoyi, were also pursuing comparable building regulation and urban renewal measures.