Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube, Deputy Radar Editor
THE City of Bulawayo is set to put on public exhibition two significant Local Subject Plans that promise to usher in modern amenities, including a polytechnic skills hub, hospital, stadium, truck inn and office parks.
The plans also aim to establish a terminus and cultural centre at the Inxwala site, marking a step toward co-ordinated urban growth.
Local Subject Plans, detailed urban planning documents governed by the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, guide land use, development and infrastructure in designated areas. They replace outdated frameworks to promote sustainable and organised city expansion.
According to a recent report by the Bulawayo City Council, Local Subject Plan 18, covering the northern parts of the Central Business District, and Local Development Plan 12, focusing on the city’s southern areas, will be open for public exhibition.
This process ensures ongoing engagement before the plans become operative.
Local Subject Plan 18 provides a framework for development within the area bounded by Third Avenue, Beit Avenue, Selous Avenue and Eastcot Avenue.
“A Local Subject Plan is intended to enable a detailed treatment to be given to a particular aspect or issues or where a specific problem existed in a particular area which was of insufficient magnitude to justify the wider treatment. Land use had been identified as a specific problem within the study area which was meant to be addressed by Local Subject Plan 18.”
The plan’s formulation involved two phases: a situational study assessing current development conditions, and a written statement outlining land use and policy proposals informed by the study’s findings. While the study report has been shared with management and policymakers, the written statement was presented to city councillors on 3 November 2025 and awaits presentation to residents.
The proposed uses within this planning area include shops, offices, medical suites, service industry, a market, terminus, institutional facilities and a cultural centre at the Inxwala site.
“Local Subject Plan 18 sought to fulfil the vision of city development including to enliven the land use zones within the planning area to address the current demand and expectations of the population within and outside the area and also protect the environment as a life support system from unsustainable modification.”
Local Development Plan 12 offers a framework guiding development in Bellevue, Newton West, Newton, Eloana, Hillside West and surrounding areas over the next 15 years. The study area is bounded by the Bulawayo-Plumtree railway line to the west, Balfour Road and Asquith Avenue, Siyephambili Drive, Wellington Road and Cecil Avenue to the north and Matopos Road near Tshabalala Wildlife Sanctuary to the east.
“The plan sought to formulate environmental enhancement and protection strategies since the study abutted Tshabalala game sanctuary which helped preserve the flora and fauna in Bulawayo and also analysed and evaluated traffic and transportation systems with particular emphasis on mass public transportation and then come up with sound proposals to smoothen the efficient use of public transportation and traffic safety,” reads the report.
It further aims to rejuvenate commercial development through transit corridors, upgrade existing commercial centres and provide community facilities such as a hospital and stadium to meet local needs.
Major proposals include expanding shopping centres to ensure adequate commercial facilities, creating vibrant commercial corridors along transit routes and promoting densification to curb urban sprawl.
The plan also prioritises developing a high-quality road network connecting the area to the Central Business District, industrial zones and other key city nodes.
“They will also provide modern facilities that is polytechnic/skills hub, hospital, stadium, truck inn and office parks and also opening spaces and reservations that include active (sports fields, playgrounds) and passive (park and green corridors) open spaces in the area were essential for fostering a healthy, sustainable and socially inclusive urban environment,” reads the report.
