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Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanAcknowledgmentBeira Lake Intervention Area Guide Plan is a collaborative work which is undertakenby the Colombo Metro Region Division of Urban Development Authority under theconsultation of relevant stakeholders and throughout the process which continued fornearly one year.Especially, our special thanks are extended to the Minister of Urban Development &Housing, Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksha, State Minister, Hon. Nalaka Godahewa and Secretary to the Ministry for the guidance and support given by them.Special gratitude is extended to all relevant key stakeholder agencies of both state andprivate sector for sharing their comments, suggestions, and ideas along with numerousvaluable input data without which the Beira Lake Intervention Area Guide Plan won’tbe a reality. The comments, recommendations, and suggestions given by the generalpublic; especially the Colombo Community in the means of participating in stakeholdermeetings, focused group discussions, business forums, through the website, and othersocial media are also highly appreciated.The chairman of Urban Development Authority, Major General (Retd) Udaya Nanayakkara is recalled with great appreciation for initiating the process of preparing theguide plan. Special gratitude is also extended to the Director-General of UDA, Plnr. Mr.N.P.K. Ranaweera, Additional Director General, Deputy Director Generals, and Directors of all Divisions of UDA for their encouragement, supervision, and counsel havegiven throughout. The continuous direct guidance and encouragement were given byDirector (Strategic Planning), Plnr. Priyani Nawarathne is also remarked with greatappreciation. Besides, all staff of UDA is remembered with utmost gratitude for theirsupport towards Beira Lake Intervention Area Guide Plan in numerous ways.No. 41 of 1978, have approved the Beira Lake Intervention Area Guide Plan 2030.X

2022–2031Urban Development AuthorityTable of ContentsPlanning TeamGazette NotificationHonorable Minister’s ForwardHonorable State Minister’s ForwardUDA Chairman’s ForwardAcknowledgmentTable of ContentsIIIIVVIVIIVIIIXXIChapter 01 – Introduction11.1.1.2.Guide Plan AreaContextual Study351.2.11.2.2.1.2.3.1.2.4.1.2.5.1.2.6.History of the Beira LakePrevious Planning AttemptsLand UseLand OwnershipPopulationTransportation5710121415Chapter 02 – Need of the Plan192.1.20Issues & PotentialsChapter 03 – The Plan313.1.3.2.3.3.323338VisionGoal & ObjectivesConcept PlanXI

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanXIIChapter 04 – Strategic ortation LayoutRecreational LayoutInfrastructure LayoutZoning LayoutSite LayoutChapter 05 – Planning Guidelines & Regulations675.1.5.2.6870Common Regulations and GuidelinesSite Specific Regulations

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2022–2031Urban Development AuthorityChapter 01Introduction1

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanBeira Lake is the main water body which is locatingwithin the Central Business District of Western Region inclose proximity to the Colombo Port and Port City Developments. The lake covers about 65.4 Ha. and has a mean depthof 2.0m. The area is mostly flat, with ground level rangingfrom less than 1m to 6m above mean sea level and catchment area is about 629Ha with comprising five main basins.65.4 HaMean Depth 2mGround Level 1–6mabove mean sea levelCatchment Area 629 HaAreaBeira Lake as a unique water body is adding environmentaland economic values to the area while emerging the potential for waterfront development with the rapid urbanizationof the Colombo as the Central Business District of wholecountry. But today Beira Lake is a center for the variousincompatible uses which include dumping of garbage aswell as the disposal of laundry and wastewater into the Lake.Since Beira Lake Intervention Area being the heart of theColombo capital the potential for massive developments tobe guided by the Urban Development Authority as the mainplanning agency of the Sri Lanka.Accordingly, Urban Development Authority (UDA) of SriLanka prepared this Development Guide Plan for the BeiraLake Intervention Area to achieve its vision of planned,sustained and adored urbanization with promoting integrated planning and implementation for economic, social,environment and physical development of the area by thelegal provision from the UDA Act No. 41 of 1978 as its one ofmandatory duties.Beira Lake as a unique water body isadding environmental and economic valuesto the area while emerging the potentialfor waterfront development with the rapidurbanization of the Colombo as the CentralBusiness District of whole country.2

2022–2031Urban Development Authority1.1. Guide Plan AreaThe East Beira Lake and Northern part of the West BeiraLake is the major concern of this Beira Lake InterventionArea Development Guide Plan (2022–2031). The underutilized and uncontrolled developments along the water bodyexist in this area and the development potentials for the areaare emerging with the surrounding developments like PortCity, Multi Modal Transport Hub and Lotus Tower. Due tothat considering the need of the planning intervention forthe area the boundary of this guide plan decided to boundedby the Lake House Junction, Ibbanwala Junction, Galle FaceGreen and the Lotus Road.Guide Plan Area645 AcresThe total area includes Approximately 645 Acres of landextent and the Development Guide Plan is guiding theeconomic, social, environment and physical developmentsof the area.3

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2022–2031Urban Development Authority1.2. Contextual Study1.2.1. History of the Beira LakeAfter the Colombo became the countries capital in 1815 the Beira Lake, which was an ornament of the city and the afforded an idealopportunity for boating related activities aswell as for leisure were a site of various recreational activities such as parties, concerts,Portuguese Period(1505–1656)Early British Period(1796–1870)Late British Period(1870–1948)Dutch Period(1656–1796)Figure 2 : History MapsSource : City of ColomboDevelopment Plan 2030, UDAFigure 1 : Planning BoundaryPortuguese Period(1505–1656)theatre, balls etc. During the early period itwas the center of commercial life as well asa leisure resort. Near the Lake was charmingsites with greenery, walking paths and spacesfor children to play.5

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanThese sites no longer exist due to changes in land use thattook place over the years. With the time many activities havecontributed to encroach on the surface of the Lake areas likeport related activities such as warehouses and of a boat yardin the East Lake area, the occupation by squatters of somestructures of land around the Lakes, and the road development and siltation of parts of the Lake.During the early periodBeira Lake was the center ofcommercial life as well as aleisure resort.As per the Beira Lake Restoration Study, 1993, these activities “have resulted in the eutrophication of the Lake andencouraged periodic unrestrictive growth of algae, fish kills,bad odor and discoloration of the water which has causedmuch public nuisance besides being a heal the hazard”.Figure 3 : Images of Beira Lake History6

2022–2031Urban Development Authority1.2.2. Previous Planning AttemptsIn purpose to avoid unplanned growth andregularize the foreseen developments asresponse to the rapid urban development andurban sprawl of City of Colombo the compre-hensive planning attempts were introducedfor the whole Colombo area in several timeswith including the Beira Lake InterventionArea as follows. City Plan by Sir Patrick Geddes – 1921Plan by Clifford Holiday – 1940The Regional Plan by Patrick Abercrombie – 1948UNDP Assisted Colombo Master Plan – 1978 City of Colombo Development Plan – 1985Colombo Metropolitan Regional Structure Plan (CMRSP) – 1998City of Colombo Development Plan – 1999Western Region Mega Polis Plan (CESMA) – 2004City of Colombo Development Plan (Amendment) – 2008Western Region Mega Polis Master Plan – 2030Although all of these plans include the areaof Beira Lake the special attention as a majorwater body within the city is less except theCity of Colombo Development Plan (Amendment)–2008. Under the City of Colombo Development Plan (Amendment)–2008 the BeiraLake Intervention Area has identified as aGuide Plan area to denote the need of specialplanning intervention.Beira LakeCity Plan by Sir Patrick Geddes7

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanFigure 4 : City of Colombo Development Plan (Amendment) - 20088

2022–2031The Beira Lake Master Plan 1993 is the onlyone planning document which fully intentioned about the developments around BeiraLake. Sri Lanka and Canadian Professionalswere prepared Master Plan for Beira Lake andsurrounding areas based on the Beira LakeRestoration Study, 1993. It was a comprehensive study and identified 15 sites to turnColombo into water–front city using the BeiraLake as a central attraction an existing openarea.As per the said proposal, relocation of ArmyHead Quarters and release the lands along theBaladaksha Mawatha, Colombo CommercialLand, and Slave Island redevelopment stage I& II and John Keels Development are in progress. The Linear Park development along theSouth West and about 80% of east Beira Lakewas completed by the UDA according to theMaster Plan.I.II.III.IV.V.VI.VII.Urban Development AuthorityThis Master Plan was intended to serve twopurposes. First, to convey to the citizens ofColombo a vision of what the future of theCore Area should be, and second to outlinehow this vision can be achieved. The Plan hasboth strategic and physical components. Strategically, the Plan provides a set of policies toguide future development in a manner that isconsistent with overall City goals and objectives. Physically, the plan makes specific landuse and urban design recommendations. TheMaster Plan consists with three sub plans. Environmental Improvement PlanWater Management PlanBusiness PlanThe Planning concept for the Core Area wascomposed of seven elements;Provide enough opportunity to develop a powerful Business Centre.Focus the Core Area development to the Lake.In keeping with the water focus, the existing pears will be used to developthe new activities.Beira Place and the Business Convention Complex, center of the Master Plan forEast Beira Lake, was also focus on the waterfront.Foster the quality of new and existing residential neighborhoods.Reinforce the relationship between the new development along the waterfront and thecommercial core and residential communities of the City Centre.Make the Core Area a unique attraction for tourists.9

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide Plan1.2.3. Land UseNoExisting Land Use%1Water Body17.692Commercial10.933Government Offices9.614Road9.225Ware House8.316Residential8.057Railway8.588Under Construction5.799Open Space/Recreational5.6510Educational3.3311Military Camps3.2812Hotel3.2013Bus Stand2.2814Car Park2.2315Religious1.2816Industry0.3817Bank & Allied0.22Table 1 : Land use Categories & percentages10Figure 5 : Land Use MapSource : CMR Division, UDA based on survey details on 2017Most of the lands surrounding the Beira Lake are underutilized and use for warehouses and due to that the presentdensity around Beira Lake is low when compared to thedevelopment of the other areas of the City of Colombo. Thepresent land use pattern in the area categories to 17 categories and the percentage of the land use out of total area isdescribed in the Table No.1.

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Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanThe Perimeter of the Lake is about 15 km and the Lakearea is about 165 Acres. Presently 5.65% lands availablefor open spaces/ recreational purposes and it includedschool playground too, but not included Beira Lake waterarea. This percentage is not adequate and not into thestandard of the UDA regulation of open spaces (Minimumrequirement is 10% of the area excluding roads andcirculation areas).Beira LakeLake perimeter - 15kmLake Area – 165AcresAvailable open Space (exceptLake Area) – 5.65% out of totalland extentBeira Lake is located in the heart of the City of Colomboand has a highly urbanized catchment of 448 ha. That ismostly flat, with ground levels ranging from less than 1mto 6m above mean sea level. The Lake covers 65.4 ha. Andhas a mean depth of 2.0m. It comprises four main basins.The East Lake is the largest and deepest basin (43.3 ha.mean depth of 5.6m.), which the other three basins aremuch smaller and shallower (total 22.2 ha. mean depth of3.4) (1996 Beira Lake Business Plan).1.2.4. Land OwnershipIn the area surrounding Beira Lake, two types of land ownership can be identified. Land owned by the state and lands inprivate ownership. Most of the state lands are underutilized.This issue was identified in 1993 – plan too and proposed torelease these lands to the development. As a result of that,nearly 20 Acers of the West Beira and South Beira Lake wererelease for mixed development projects as well as Hotelprojects which are under construction now. The state landswhich are under the Land Commissioner’s Custody, areoccupied by the Government Organizations and the ArmedForces. Some of these lands are leased out to the private orsemi-public organizations such as Ceylon Electricity Board(CEB), National Housing Development Authority (NHDA),Peoples Bank, Urban Development Authority (UDA), JEDB,Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the Railway Department also possess some state lands which are used by themselves or are leased out to others. However, most of the statelands are underutilized and not compatible with the urbanland use.12

2022–2031Urban Development AuthorityLand LPA17.95Police3.92CMC3.67Religious3.54CWE2.40SL Air force1.64Table 2: Land Ownershippercentage wiseSource: Survey on February 2020Religious3.54%CWE2.40%SL Air Private18.96%UDA18.46%Figure 6: Land OwnershipPercentage wiseSource: Survey on February 202013

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide Plan1.2.5. PopulationResidential population72540Commuter Population122240 per dayThe residential population of the Development Guide PlanArea is about 72,540 according to the survey details of theColombo Municipal Council in 2016. It is 13% of amount outof the total population of the Colombo Municipal CouncilArea. The residential population of this area is less asmentioned in the table no 1. It shows that the residentialland use is around 8.5% out of the total land use of the DGPArea.The commuter population within the DGP area is about122,240 per day asper the survey details of the ColomboMunicipal Council in 2016. It is about 20% of amount outof the total commuter population attracts to the ColomboMunicipal Council Area. The commuter attraction for theDGP area is in a considerable amount at the present situation and it shows the development potential for the area.Figure 7: Low Income Houses, Slave IslandFigure 8: TATA Housing Complex, Slave IslandFigure 9: Commuter Population, Galle Face Green14

2022–2031Urban Development Authority1.2.6. TransportationTransport network is important which facilitate the movement of population and materials to each and every onewho is benefited from the certain area. The area includesto Beira Lake Intervention Area Guide Plan has three typesof transport modes as roads, railways and water transportation. In further the red line and purple line of the proposedColombo Metro System are running through this area. TheMulti Modal Transport Hub – Pettah will be developed veryclose to this area within nearest future.Roads – In terms of road connectivity, Beira Lake andsurrounding area is mainly connected with the surroundingcommercial and recreational areas like Pettah, HospitalSquare, Galle Face Green and Viharamahadevi Park. Theupcoming flyovers development projects at Slave Island alsowill be a development potential for the area.Railway – The railway line is running through the planningarea and the stations of Slave Island, Pettah and Maradanais very close proximity. This guide plan will be catered forthe people who take their origin and destination from thesestations. The upcoming project of railway electrificationalso will be a potential for the developments of this area.Water transportation – A boat service for office crowd hasalready started at Beira Lake from Mc-Callum Park to Ibbanwala. The potential for expand the water transportation isexisting at the Beira Lake since locate in commercial coreof the Colombo.Colombo Metro System – There are four Lines proposedunder Colombo Metro System as Red line, Blue line, Greenline and Purple Line which are cater for whole Colomboarea. Throughout that the Red Line and Purple Line isrunning through the Beira Lake Intervention Area.15

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Figure 10 : Existing Transport LayoutSource : CMR Division, UDA2022–2031Urban Development Authority17

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2022–2031Urban Development AuthorityChapter 02Need of the Plan19

Beira Lake Inter vention Area Development Guide PlanThe identification of the need of the plan was doneby using the perceptions of the stakeholders and planningteam. The planning team handled several no of data collection methods as social survey, secondary data collections,cognitive surveys and field observations. After analyzing theall collected data along with the root-cause analysis andSWOT matrix define the existing problems and potentials ofthe planning area.2.1. Issues & PotentialsThe Beira Lake intervention area is ideal for residential, commercial, tourism and recreational development;however, the access and sewerage may act as constraint.To connect the waterfront to the City Centre almost all thestreets should be improved and link with the other areas ofthe city. Extensive re-devel

B.Sc. (Special) Estate Management &Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, M.Sc. Urban Planning, United States, Post Graduate Diploma Urban Management and Plan - ning - Netherland, Corporate Member of Institute of Town Planners, Sri Lanka, Associate . Open play areas, Outdoor theaters, Garden & Soft Landscape Features are .