DEVELOPMENT TO BE COMPLETED BY JANUARY NEXT YEAR

More than 70 government and private institutions and more than 1,000 smaller private bodies and residential properties in the area dumped garbage and waste in the lake The land around the lake would be reclaimed completely and be one of the five areas that would be developed by the government in creating a development corridor connecting the Colombo Harbour, Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo Port City and Galle Face

Development of the linear park around Beira Lake would be completed by January next year, Urban Development Authority (UDA) Chairman Dr. Jagath Munasinghe said yesterday.

He said the land acquisition around the lake was ongoing and developers are to be called soon to initiate the proposed development plan.

According to the project plan, families living in the slums near the lake were relocated to recently completed housing schemes in Kolonnawa and Henamulla.

The ‘Beira Lake Intervention Area Development Plan’ initiated several years ago is a joint venture of the Singapore Corporation Enterprise, Centre for Livable Cities and Temasek Foundation.

The multi facetted development plan for the Beira Lake area, was dubbed ‘Ranmasu Pura,’ by the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development yesterday.

The land around the lake would be reclaimed completely and be one of the five areas that would be developed by the government in creating a development corridor connecting the Colombo Harbour, Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo Port City and Galle Face.

Speaking to the media previously, officials stated that more than 70 government and private institutions and more than 1,000 smaller private bodies and residential properties in the area dumped garbage and waste in the lake.

The dumping of medical waste in the Lake was another reason the ecological system in and around the lake had changed drastically over the years.

The project was allocated 55 hectares for development, 30 hectares for state offices, 27 hectares for the Sri Lanka Railway Department, 26 hectares for warehouses a majority of which will come under the purview of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), 24 hectares as residential areas and 20 hectares as public area.

Close to 150 acres around the lake would be developed as commercial properties while the remainder will be converted to a park.

The new city will be connected directly to the Financial City that is being constructed in Galle Face as well as the multi modal transportation hub close to D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha.