Govt. finalises West Beira Mixed Development moves

 Beira Lake set to be the site for several new development projects 

• Air Force grounds, Slave Island Police Station, and Helitours ticketing office earmarked for mixed development project
• Beira mixed development project intended to increase potential for waterfront development
• UDA Board of Management approved vesting land of around 10 acres with authority
• Cabinet memo presented by PM, approval likely after Elections

The Government has finalised an ambitious mixed development plan to the west of Beira Lake, freeing up crown land for new investors under a public-private partnership model. 

Cabinet approval has been sought to vest around 10 acres of prime land in Colombo with the Urban Development Authority (UDA), consisting of the Air Force grounds, Slave Island Police Station, and the Helitours ticketing office.

The Cabinet memorandum tilted ‘Vesting of Lands at Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha for West Beira Mixed Development Project at Slave Island to the UDA’ was presented last month by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister of Urban Development, and is slated to get approval after the conclusion of the General Elections.

The UDA Board of Management has approved the vesting of the lands with the Authority at a meeting held on 14 May, and the proposal is now under consideration before Cabinet. The project area consists of four separate lots, including the former Examination Department, but the UDA is already in the process of vesting this property with the authority.

Cabinet approval has been sought to vest with the UDA as a free grant the three lands under Section 6 (1) of the Crown Lands Ordinance. The decision to vest the land with the UDA has been taken considering the present land use requirements under the Colombo City Development plan.

The Air Force activities are to be shifted to the Tri-Forces headquarters in the Akuregoda area in Pelawatte, while the existing police station and quarters will be reconstructed and will continue at the same premises.

In the original plans for the development of the area, the Air Force grounds consisting of approximately 3.5 acres was to be left as an open space, but under a revised plan this land will be given for property development, while 5.5 acres of land adjoining the Shangri-La Hotel along Baladaksha Mawatha will be left as an open space.

The UDA’s Main Planning Committee has recommended that the proposed Colombo Business District (CBD) project be implemented, subject to 50% of the space remaining as open spaces. The Beira Mixed Development project is intended to increase the potential for waterfront development, while enhancing the economic value of property in the area.

The area will be developed based on the recommendations of the Beira Lake Intervention Area Development Guide Plan, which is being revised by the UDA to guide the development trend in the area. The Sri Lanka Land Development Authority (SLLDA), the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), and the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) are also involved in developing the Beira Lake and surrounding area, by implementing identified projects.