The Chongwe Municipal Council has ordered Messr Construction Corporation to stop building a Chinese cemetery due to lack of permission from relevant authorities.
Messr China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (Zambia) Limited failed to follow procedure before commencing development activities on Plot Chong/LN-4034/1 Silverest, Chongwe.
This is contained in a statement issued by Chongwe Municipal Council-Assistant Public Relations Manager, Musonda Mino, earlier today.
Mr. Mino said Messr Constuction Limited did not obtain planning permission for change of use of land and planning permission for development, provided for under the Urban and Regional Planning Act No. 3 of 2015.
“Matters at hand are that the company did not obtain a permit and according to our records, Plot LN-4034/1 is designated for agriculture use not a cemetery,” Mr.Mino said.
He further stated that Messr has also been instructed to restore the land to its original state.
The Assistant PR said the Council is fully aware that the land in question is private property however, it will not allow any development at the site before acquisition of the necessary permit from authorities in charge.
The Council has since advised Messr Corporation to follow the right procedure by applying for planning permission and change of land use for the location in question.
Mr. Mino explained that the council desires to facilitate various infrastructure development in different categories throughout the district and urges all land developers to adhere to laws of the country before commencing any works.
Messr China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (Zambia) Limited is a construction company which was sub-contracted by the Chinese Embassy in Zambia to construct the Chinese Martyr ‘s Memorial Facility.