President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the 13th Amendment to the Decentralization Act (Act No. 07/2010) on Sunday, September 8, 2024. This legislative amendment was passed by the Parliament during its 32nd sitting of the second session on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
The primary objective of this amendment is to integrate the land use plans developed by City and Island Councils into the broader Physical Development Plan, as outlined in the Urban Planning and Management Act. Consequently, several revisions to the Decentralization Act have been made to align it with these new planning frameworks.
Under the amended Act, the requirement that an island or city's development plan must align with the land use plan prepared by the respective council and approved by the relevant national agency has been revised. The amendment now specifies that these development plans must instead conform to the island's or city's Physical Development Plan.
The Physical Development Plan is now formally recognised as the "Island Development Master Plan" when prepared by an Island Council and the "City Development Master Plan" when prepared by a City Council.
Following President Dr Muizzu's ratification, the 13th Amendment to the Decentralization Act was published in the Government Gazette on Sunday, September 8, 2024. The amendment will take effect on the date of the commencement of the Urban Planning and Management Act.