Port St Johns LM IDP May02.pdf - Provincial Spatial Development plan

19CHAPTER 1: THE PLANNING PROCESS1.0 Integrated Development Planning1.1 IntroductionThis document represents the second generation Integrated Development Plan as prepared by thenewly established Port St. John‟s Municipality (hereafter the Municipality).It is submitted and prepared in fulfilment of the Municipalities legal obligation in terms of therelevant sections of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 33 of 2000).1.2 BackgroundWith the inception of a new political dispensation in 1994 the role and structure of the LocalAuthority and planning process within these municipalities started to change dramatically. TheNew Constitution (1996) further enabled this paradigm shift in the way Local Governmentfunction.The Constitution provided the primary overarching framework within which Local Governmentplanning must be contextualised. The Constitution gives Local Government a mandate to:‣ Provide democratic and accountable Government for all communities;‣ Ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner;‣ To promote social and economic development;‣ To promote a safe and health environment; and‣ To encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of LocalGovernment.The Constitution also establishes Local Government as a sphere of Government in its own right.This means Local Government is no longer a function of National or Provincial Government, butan integral part of the democratic state. Although Local Government is a distinct sphere, it isdependent on, and related to the Provincial and National spheres.Flowing from the white paper on Local Government three important pieces of legislation havebeen promulgated:‣ Local Government: Municipal System Act‣ Local Government: Municipal Structures Act‣ Municipal Demarcation ActThis new legislative framework forms the cornerstone of the envisaged Local GovernmentSystem. Fundamental to the new role of Local Government, i.e. Developmental LocalGovernment is Integrated Development Planning.Port St. John‟s Integrated Development PlanChapter 1: The Planning Process