Industry & Economy

Click to see the solutions PlanCayman will implement to carry out our goals

Complete

Ensure that prime agricultural land remains viable for agricultural use

Identify prime agricultural land and retain this land for future agricultural use.

Action Points:
  • Conduct an inventory of prime agricultural land and its current status.
  • Separate the “Agricultural/Residential” Zone into two separate zones, Agricultural and Estate Residential.
  • Ensure existing development rights are preserved for current AG/Res property owners, but provide incentives to steer development away from the prime agricultural land.
  • Ensure that water lenses are protected and made available for agricultural use.

Recognise the need for ancillary land uses in agricultural areas including but not limited to agricultural product processing, agri-tourism and the vending of agricultural merchandise produced on farm.

Action Points:
  • Assess the impact of non-agricultural uses near prime agriculture land in relation to soil quality degradation and ground water quality and recommend measures to prevent further deterioration.
  • Restrict adjacent land uses to the newly classified “Estate Residential” use and ancillary agriculture uses in order to mitigate conflicts between agricultural and residential uses.
  • Ensure that areas for aggregate extraction are not sited on prime agricultural land.

Ensure that provision is made for horticulture

Action Points:
  • Identify prime horticultural land and support nursery growth.
  • DoP to work with the Department of Agriculture, the National Trust and local nurseries to identify prime land and assess long term needs.

Complete

Ensure adequate supply and distribution of office and commercial properties to meet the demands of residents.

Ensure an adequate supply of commercial land to meet market demand.

Action Points:
  • Conduct a commercial lands inventory in order to ensure an adequate inventory exists to meet the supply, absorption and future demand for commercial lands on Grand Cayman.

Encourage commercial development in district centres that are of a neighbourhood scale while supporting Primary commercial centres in Grand Cayman.

Action Points:

  • Identify suitable land parcels in each district, with consideration given to factors such as infrastructure, surrounding land uses, environmental features and economic conditions.

Complete

Allow for mixed-use developments to create all-inclusive liveable communities.

Encourage the creation of vibrant and dense commercial centres by permitting developments that include a mix of land uses on a single site. These combinations should include residential uses above commercial space, ensuring residents have places to live, work and shop while reducing the need to travel.

Action Points:
  • Review the Planning Regulations to allow for true mixed use residential/office/commercial/retail developments in Commercial zones, as long as the residential use remains accessory to a commercial use. Consider necessary design standards to allow residential and commercial uses in close proximity.
  • Identify locations for locally-oriented Neighbourhood Commercial centres that help to contribute to a ‘neighbourhood heart’ that serves as social and commercial crossroads for residents and visitors.
  • Identify urban design guidelines and standards to create high quality, safe and accessible commercial centres and buildings.

Complete

Ensure adequate long-term supply of industrial land within existing industrial zones as well as creating light-industrial opportunities in outlying districts for local needs.

Ensure an adequate supply of industrial land to meet market demand.

Action Points:
  • An Industrial Lands Inventory should be conducted in order to ensure an adequate supply to meet the demand and absorption rates for industrial land on Grand Cayman.
  • Identify suitable sites for future industrial areas through land use analysis and density regulations taking into consideration the build-out-scenario.

Encourage industrial uses to locate in industrial areas and restrict the infringement of retail, office, and residential uses into these areas.

Action Points:
  • Amend regulations prohibiting new residential development within industrial zones.
  • Amend regulations limiting new commercial development within industrial zones to those that are an accessory use to industrial activity, or those services oriented towards industrial users (lunch restaurants, hardware, etc.).

Allow for locally serving Light Industrial areas throughout the Island.

Action Points:
  • Identify suitable land parcels in each district to be zoned Light Industrial, with consideration given to factors such as  infrastructure, surrounding land uses, environmental features, and economic conditions.

Ensure industrial property has minimal impact on adjacent non-industrial uses and natural resources.

Action Points:
  • Improve design standards to minimise noise, runoff, lighting, odour and emissions through improved design standards.
  • Address land transport impacts between the George Town port and the Industrial Park.

Complete

Reduce the demand for Island aggregate quarrying.

Encourage development techniques that require less aggregate than current practices.

Action Points:
  • Require alternative approaches to site and building design, such as minimising the amount of filling permitted on a development site.
Complete

Reduce environmental and natural resource loss associated with quarry operations whilst ensuring the continuing availability of quality construction aggregate and fill material for future development at a reasonable cost.

Continue implementation of the Central Planning Authority’s Aggregate Policy (June 2004).

Action Points:
  • Ensure that a closure plan is in place for all existing quarry sites and future quarry sites and that they are implemented.
  • The DoP with assistance from DoE should create a set of conditions for the closure plan.

Complete

Support the development of employment facilities considering aspects such as comfort, convenience, compatibility, and safety.

Encourage infill and brownfield development on vacant parcels within existing developed areas to minimise development sprawl and minimise the negative effects of neglected and empty properties

Action Points:
  • Support the reuse or conversion of existing buildings to help retain or create employment opportunities within existing commercial zones.
  • Applicants should conduct a market analysis for all applications for major developments outside the town centre or main commercial zones.
  • Allow mixed use development for projects that utilise infill development.
  • Applicants to demonstrate that development proposals for new shopping centres will not adversely affect the vitality and viability of other shopping centres.

Encourage economic diversification and new types of business activity.

Action Points:
  • Adopt flexible and adaptable commercial land use policies that accommodate for new types of future businesses.
  • Create the appropriate regulatory mechanism to allow for Mixed-Use developments within appropriate zones and locations.
  • Ensure that a range of unit sizes are created in order to cater for small businesses.

Support proposals that maintain and enhance the vitality and physical appearance of local shopping centres and, where appropriate, provide better facilities for shoppers.

Action Points:
  • Review and revise, if necessary, accessibility design standards for people with disabilities.
  • Ensure that all new buildings have disabled access and encourage the retrofitting to incorporate them in existing buildings.
  • Ensure parking standards meet the demands for the uses.
  • Undertake a parking demand study for larger commercial developments.
Complete

Ensure commercial and economic growth occurs in tandem with the provision of adequate infrastructure

Provide the necessary communication infrastructure and technology to meet the demands of industries such as finance and banking.

Action Points:
  • Facilitate the growth of new and existing telecommunication systems whilst keeping the environmental impact and visual intrusion to a minimum.
  • Sympathetic design and camouflage should be used to minimise the impact of infrastructure on the visual environment, with the aim being for it to blend into the landscape.