Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube Deputy Radar Editor
THE City of Bulawayo is moving to tighten control over cluster housing developments through a sweeping new policy that seeks to curb overcrowding, preserve suburban character, stop illegal and unco-ordinated developments and enforce stricter planning standards across the city.
The new Policy on Cluster Housing Development in the City of Bulawayo introduces strict regulations on the number of housing units permitted per stand, building heights, parking requirements, open spaces, road widths and infrastructure standards, while also giving council wider powers to regulate developers and monitor compliance.
According to the latest council report, the local authority notes that the policy is meant to address growing concerns over overcapacity, area character loss, loss of biodiversity and aesthetic deterioration caused by poorly planned cluster housing projects that have mushroomed in several suburbs over the years.
The policy comes as Bulawayo increasingly embraces urban densification in line with national housing policies and the Government’s National Development Strategy 1 and 2, which promote compact urban settlements to deal with housing shortages and urban sprawl.
According to the local authority’s Director of Town Planning, Mr Wisdom Siziba, cluster housing developments have become one of the dominant forms of urban densification in Zimbabwe, but many projects have prioritised profit maximisation at the expense of orderly development, environmental preservation and infrastructure sustainability.
“Profit maximisation had been the main thrust, taking less account of the need to maintain the status quo of the residential areas in question,” reads part of the report.
The policy seeks to promote “compact, diverse and sustainable cluster housing developments” while preserving the identity and character of established suburbs.
Under the policy, cluster housing developments will now be allowed across all residential zones in Bulawayo, subject to strict planning controls and council approval.
“All the forms of cluster housing, excluding quadraplex, sextuplex, and gated communities would be adopted for the City of Bulawayo in line with the provisions of the local development plans, new concepts not described in this policy would be subject to town planning assessment before application for Special Consent or building plan approval processing.
“The forms of cluster housing development were subject to the set standards in the proposals as per the residential zone and the cluster housing policy will be applied to all residential areas within the jurisdiction of the City of Bulawayo,” reads part of the policy document.
The policy introduces detailed standards for low, medium and high-density suburbs, including minimum stand sizes, building coverage ratios, parking bays, road widths and open space requirements.
In low-density suburbs serviced by sewer systems, cluster housing developments will require a minimum stand size of 2 500 square metres, while septic tank serviced areas will require at least 4 000 square metres.
The policy also caps the number of housing units permitted on a stand depending on density calculations and infrastructure availability.
For example, a 6 000 square metre stand in a low-density area serviced by sewer may only accommodate a maximum of seven units, while septic tank serviced areas will be limited to five units.
“Absolute density was used to calculate the maximum number of units that can be established within a stand (given its area). The absolute density was calculated per hectare and the density used was given in the standards for different residential zones. Maximum coverage per centum was prescribed through local plans for different residential zones,” reads the document.
Council also wants all cluster housing developments to provide mandatory open spaces, recreational areas and landscaped communal spaces to prevent overcrowding and preserve environmental aesthetics.
A minimum of 30 percent of every development site must be reserved for open space and recreation.
“A well-defined traffic system would be designed to allow free movement throughout the development while discouraging excessive speeds, and would structure the development in clearly defined clusters and/or groups of townhouses. Where dwelling units were located on residential service streets or courts, the street system must be designed to discourage all traffic except that of owner/occupants, their guests, and their services.
“No town house would be constructed so as to provide direct vehicular ingress or egress to any major Primary or District distributor Roads or Roads deemed by the Local Authority as major traffic throughfares and the whole property would be walled and gated.”
Developers will also be required to provide solar infrastructure, proper parking bays, internal roads, fire safety systems and sewer or septic tank infrastructure depending on the area.
The proposed policy further compels all cluster housing developments to maintain architectural uniformity.
Council says developers will be restricted on the number of building designs allowed within a development to preserve visual harmony and neighbourhood character.
“The colour of buildings and roofs must be uniform while orientation of buildings should follow a general pattern,” reads the policy document.
The city also intends to tighten regulation on pre-selling of units before infrastructure completion, a practice blamed for incomplete and chaotic developments across several suburbs.
Council noted that some developers had been selling units before construction was completed, leading to unco-ordinated structures, abandonment of projects and failure to comply with council conditions.
The proposed policy also seeks to stop illegal over-development, with council raising concern that some developers have been constructing more units than originally approved through special consent permits.
To strengthen oversight, council proposes the establishment of an interdepartmental monitoring committee to oversee implementation of cluster housing developments.
The policy further gives council powers to intervene and maintain common areas in cluster housing projects where residents or housing associations fail to do so.
Developers and residents will also be subjected to training and awareness programmes focusing on compliance, waste management, environmental sustainability, conflict resolution and community management.
According to council records, Bulawayo approved 204 cluster housing developments between 2000 and October 2024, comprising 130 townhouse projects and 74 duplex developments.
The highest number of approvals was recorded in 2021 and 2023, with 26 permits issued in each year, reflecting growing demand for cluster housing in the city.
Several suburbs have already seen major cluster housing expansion under existing local plans, including Khumalo, Hillside, Burnside, Matsheumhlope, Riverside, Famona, Bradfield, Morningside, Barham Green, Southwold and Selborne Park.
The policy also aligns with national legislation including the Regional Town and Country Planning Act, the National Human Settlement Policy, the Housing Standards Control Act and the Urban State Land Management Policy.
Councillors who debated the matter supported the proposed policy, saying it would help bring order to urban development and address infrastructure pressures caused by unregulated densification.
Council resolved to recommend adoption of the policy and the establishment of an interdepartmental committee to monitor cluster housing implementation across the city.
