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not, it is often a sign that his ultimate intentions are different from his ostensible ones and it is important that speculation in land should be avoided. Where proposals are made for the offsetting of part of the price of Crown land by undertakings by the purchaser to provide specific infrastructure projects, governments should consider whether such works merit a high priority in overall development plans, should lay down standards and include performance clauses, should consider whether getting such works done by the developer would be an economic way of executing them. They should also consider the extent to which the eventual value of the land to be granted (as opposed to its current undeveloped value) should be taken into account in fixing the price.
Planning
19. Development should be in accordance with local planning regulations where they exist. Where they do not it is recommended that expert advice be sought on the desirability of introducing planning and land use legislation; on the establishment under such legislation of an overall physical development plan; and on the governmental machinery needed to keep the plan up-to-date and to ensure compliance with it. A model code of building regulations with which the developer would be required to comply should ensure that buildings were completed to a satisfactory standard. As pointed out above projects which involve the establishment of "ghettos" of wealthy immigrants should be avoided on social as well as security grounds; developers should be encouraged to produce schemes which integrate the newcomers and local people. And the overall plan should reflect conscious decisions as to the scale of development desired, taking account of the population of the territory, the extent of locally available skills and the balance desired on social and political grounds between the local population and immigrants, whether settler or labour and managerial staff to service them. Rights of way and access to beaches used by local people should be preserved.
Immigration
20.
Governments should retain full control of immigration and developers should not be authorised to by-pass normal control procedures. It should be recognised however that developers will need to import key expatriate personnel and depending on the scale of development in relation to the size of the local population, may need also to import labour.
Advice
21.
The Governments of all territories should and those of grant-aided territories must consult the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as soon as possible whenever property developers or other commercial organisations put propositions to them for the conclusion of agreements in order that the proposals may be scrutinized with a view to ensuring a fair deal for their territory. We hope to be able to issue further guidance in the light of experience in conducting such negotiations.
22.
This circular is addressed to the Governors of British Honduras, Falkland Islands, St Helena, Fiji and Seychelles; the Administrators of Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands; the High Commissioner, Western Pacific; the Resident Commissioners in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and the New Hebrides; and repeated to the Governor, Bahamas (Personal) and the British Development Division in the Caribbean.
NB:
Paragraph 21 does not apply to Territories at the stage of internal self-government.
October 1978
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