Heritage District

The City Council of Port Louis is in charge of implementing the Planning Policy Guidance for the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Property Buffer Zone. All development applications are examined by the Technical Committee chaired by the City Council of Port Louis. Created by amendment to the Local Government Act 2011, the Technical Committee also comprises representatives from:

• Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage
• Ministry of National Infrastructure and Community Development (National Infrastructure Division)
• Ministry of Tourism
• Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning
• Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change
• Mauritius Ports Authority
• National Heritage Fund
• Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund

The role of the Technical Committee is to ensure the implementation of the Planning Policy Guidance for the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Property Buffer Zone. This task is achieved through the assessment of all applications for Building and Lands Use Permits in the Buffer Zone.

The Building and Lands Use Permit was also made mandatory not only for the erection of new buildings but also for any demolition and change to any building or structure in the Buffer Zone.  It is also required to submit a Cultural Heritage Impact Statement (CHIS)  together with the application for a Building and Lands Use Permit.  A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) may also be requested by the Technical Committee in case the project goes beyond the guidelines of PPG 6.

The Technical Committee has the mandate to examine the Cultural Heritage Impact Statement, Heritage Impact Assessment and Visual Impact Assessment.  The applications for development in the buffer zone are processed at the City Council of Port Louis as described hereunder:

The framework established in the heritage district involves three guiding documents:

• the Planning Policy Guidance 6 (2011)
• the Outline Planning Scheme for Port Louis (2015) and 
• the Action Area Plan (2019)