THE development of Silica City is the Guyana Government’s vision of creating a new, sustainable city which would be located in the Hilly Sands area along the Soesdyke Highway, the main artery connecting Brazil and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Guyana’s principal airport.

As with any other city, Silica City will offer a consortium of land uses through which services and amenities and many investment opportunities can be provided.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali explained that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is tasked with developing Silica City and to have investors presented with the opportunity to be part of this development.

“(The Hilly Sandy area is) the best area for development in the future; and in our (Government’s) opinion, taking all the planning models into consideration, we believe that the development of Silica City is perhaps the greatest opportunity for Guyana moving forward”, Minister Ali stressed.

Silica City is a multi-billion-dollar project that will be developed in phases and will accommodate some 40,000 residential households. Areas will also be set aside for retail, commerce, industry, tourism, and social and recreational facilities.

Silica City would be located approximately 30 miles from Georgetown, 11 miles from the Soesdyke/Linden Highway junction, and some 33 miles from the mining town of Linden. It would take up some 5,270 acres of land and would encompass portions of Yarrowkabra and the Kuru Kuru Co-op College.

“In our opinion, it is strategically located, where you are 30 miles from the major capital city, Georgetown, but you are also 33 miles away from the main mining town, Linden”, Ali said.

Speaking about the roads and drainage networks of the city, the Housing Minister noted that, overall, the area is deemed a ‘recharge zone’ for aquifers whose ground water is used to supply coastal areas with potable water.

The existing road network in this surrounding planning area, he noted, consists of one primary road, the Soesdyke-Linden Highway; and a number of secondary roads.

“With the prospect of mining expansion and development that is occurring in Linden, the industrialisation that is being talked about, and the connection with Linden and Brazil (through the) Guyana road link, this community would become one of the most important developments in the future”, Ali related.

He emphasised that the Silica project “would become in one the hallmarks in futuristic planning. It has the capacity to address issues of livelihood options, (and) there is also great potential for the development of a tourism product. There is great development for commercial activities, industrial activities, agricultural activities, culture and, of course, housing!”

The approach is based on acknowledged international best practice regarding the development of new settlements. Silica City would illustrate the benefits of employing good planning and development principles so as to achieve sustainable and good urban development.

(Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)

http://guyanachronicle.com/tou...long-linden-highway/