DÉCOUVERTE
In 2016 , the government unveiled the “ Port Louis Smart City concept plan ”, budgeted at around 52 billion Mauritian rupees . One look at the document detailing the new city tells you that the project ’ s incredibly ambitious – and late in its kick-off . A new Port Louis by 2020 may not be on the cards , but you only need to look around to understand that development , in some form or another , is indeed on the way . This development seems to be centralised around the capital ’ s coastline at the moment . The Caudan Arts Centre will be finished by December 2018 : comprising a theatre , a café / bistro , exhibition centre , conference rooms , offices and parking , it ’ s all anyone can talk about because it will undoubtedly be the space for upcoming and established artists – who wouldn ’ t want to perform in a place where the acoustics and lighting were designed by Arup ? The theatre ’ s manager is none other than Ashish Beesoondial : an actor , lecturer and stage director , Ashish was instrumental in introducing theatre to public schools and to Mauritian audiences . He hopes that the centre will be a catalyst for art and performance around the island ; audiences can expect an adaptation of Gershwin ’ s Porgy & Bess as the theatre ’ s first play . There are other projects in the works around the Caudan , too , the most famous being the Metro Express . The tramway system links Port Louis ’ two bus stations ( redesigned into terminals ), Immigration Square and Victoria , before snaking down to Curepipe . Victoria ’ s already in the process of being renovated . In January , work started on the Caudan zone ’ s other celebrated project , Odysséo , Eclosia Group ’ s aquarium of a whopping 5,000 m2 . It is to be completed by the end of 2019 . A little under the radar but no less significant is United Docks Ltd , who are helming five projects set to transform the Caudan area and the docks . They are renovating the United Docks House into an international finance centre , developing a business park , promoting Cerne Docks as a cultural hosting site , implementing a mixed-use renovation project known as Fanfaron Quays in Trou Fanfaron ( consisting of a restaurant , art gallery , wine bar , office spaces , ‘ light ’ industrial activities and warehouses ), and , with Quay Heights , building the tallest mixed-use complex of the country . It ’ s all quite spectacular . Besides those large , corporate initiatives , we are also witnessing a renewed interest by young , artistic entrepreneurs in the waterfront region : DOCK 13 , an exhibition and cultural space by The Third Dot , is set to properly launch this year in Trou Fanfaron . What of the rest of the capital ? This is where the trouble begins . The first major issue is just how fast government officials seem to change their minds on the renovation and creation of certain buildings , particularly when these buildings are part of the national heritage . The slavery museum , for instance , has been proposed and voted by parliament for over a decade , without seeing the light of day . The news will tell you it is on again off again every other week . Dr . Vijaya Teelock , president of the International Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Slave Route project , believes that the project “ has to go ahead ”. She is concerned , however , about the planned restoration of the theatre and national history museum : “ there is an urgent need to employ architects specialised in restoration . Traditional Mauritian contractors do not understand the concept of conservation .” There are other reasons to be worried , too : though a lot of energy has apparently been mustered for significant historical sites , there is not much talk about what will happen to all the others . Take Landscope , for instance , the company which manages the commercial development of State land and property . In its bid to revamp the capital , it has knocked down the old Port Louis waterfront in view of the total refurbishment of the Esplanade , Coaster Sheds , Astrolabe and underground . It plans to redevelop the Granary , the Postal Museum and Aapravasi Ghat , though scarce details have been given . All very well , except that in order to build the new Supreme Court of Mauritius , the company demolished “ La School ”, the first Royal College of Port Louis , built in the 17 th century . The second issue is that some of Port Louis ’ projects are contradictory to each other . Gabrielle Brun , an architect and urban planner , tells me that some of the current road projects in Port Louis are not in the capital ’ s interest . The national traffic management plan makes Port Louis a transition point , and not a destination in itself . “ No capital in the world has a main motorway right bang in the centre of the city , near a waterfront . Similarly , no capital has two massive bus terminals as an integral part of the city . 75 % of the vehicles in Port Louis are just transiting . The traffic management plan aims to eliminate bottlenecks , so you zip right through the capital but doing that means you are not taking an active part in the capital .” There is also not been much word concerning wastewater and water management plans , which , after the numerous floodings , should be a priority . Thirdly , the government has backtracked on its vow to release Mauritian towns from the bondage of the Landlord and Tenants Act . René Leclézio is exasperated . The managing director of the Promotion and Development company tells me that “ Port Louis is interesting to tourists if they like to photograph ruin and decay .” Cracked and crumbling walls make for a romantic picture , but not a city . It is no surprise that the capital suffers from continuous local emigration every year . The Act , he explains to me , is a law that dates back to the 1960s , when the country was devastated by cyclones Carol and Alix . Houses were destroyed , accommodation was scarce . To protect tenants from eviction , the government froze all rent – residential and commercial . Fast forward fifty years , and rent is still frozen to a large extent : if you have a contract from the 60s that stipulates that your rent is 100 rupees a month , it is what you will pay today . The owners have given up . In an attempt to evict their tenants , they have stopped repairing their buildings ; the tenants do not care , pay for some of their reparations themselves , and continue business until the place becomes uninhabitable . It is why you will find roads and roads of empty houses and shops , their shutters locked tight . It ’ s why Port Louis is dead after four in the afternoon . It is why historic buildings have been crushed and converted into parking spaces . Successive governments have been reluctant to overhaul the Act , in order not to upset these tenants and lose votes . “ There are hardship cases , we are studying them , we have found solutions , but the revocation of the Act is crucial to the regeneration of the capital , for the creation of wealth . Without it , it will be a struggle to get the Port Louis Development Initiative ’ s projects up and running .” Leclézio is a member of the Port Louis Development Initiative , a not for profit consortium of companies that work together and coordinate their activities . Its chairman is the architect Gaëtan Siew , who is more optimistic than René : “ to complement PLDI ’ s vision , we believe it is necessary to implement a legal framework that will help us define a geographical zone we are developing and the specifications necessary for the development of that zone . In addition , in order to encourage the private sector to supplement and actively contribute to the work of the government , we believe in the implementation of tax incentives . Both of these things should help us work with and around the Act , for instance .” The Act is not so much on his mind as is the youth of the country . “ We hope that all of the millennials who are interested in Port Louis come back to live in the city , especially if they work there already . We want them to find affordable housing here , make the city live again .” With this youthquake , all falls into place : “ with PLDI ’ s initiatives the city should fill up ; no-one will need to travel up and down the country to come to work in the capital ; a lifestyle will be built around us , and Port Louis will be the greener , sustainable place of tomorrow . If this really does come into fruition , I will be among the first making my home there . I will not be the only one ”.
60