Past Experience

Barrie Peter Watson is a qualified professional Town and Regional Planner. He has served as Registrar of the Namibia Council for Town and Regional Planners (a statutory body) since its inception under Government Notice 33 of 1st February 2000 until 2012. He is a founding Member (24 July 1986) and Past President of the Namibian Institute of Town and Regional Planners.

His formal education covers the disciplines of: Planning & Urbanisation, Transport & Business Economics, Management, Economic Development and Traffic & Transportation Planning.

Breadth of Professional Experience

The writer has been working in the town planning field since 1971. He has held the top management position for town planning in Windhoek from 1979 to retirement in 2008. As a private consultant the writer provides a full range of professional services covering town planning schemes, zoning amendments, cadastral changes, township establishment, town planning policies, traffic and transport studies and environmental scoping. He has served as consultant to the UN-Habitat advising on urbanisation and national planning in Namibia. He lectures on Urban Planning and Design at the Namibia University of Science and Technology since 2008. The writer has undertaken the following activities:

• Advising, designing and processing subdivisions, township establishments, property development rights amendments (rezoning), development programmes and policies, traffic studies, environmental scoping, and completing associated application procedures.
• Advising the Windhoek City Council and compiling structure plans, town planning regulations, open space policies, and settlement policies for 30 years.
• Supervising of settlement programs and township design and establishment.
• Providing town planning professional support to infrastructure and transportation engineers and undertaking of traffic counts and forecasting.
• Designing more than 18 000 erven in Windhoek in the following townships; Khomasdal Extensions 5 to 16; Katutura Extensions 16 to 20, Wanaheda & Extensions 1 to 8, Otjomuise up to Extension 5, Goreangab up to Extension 2, Rocky Crest, Dorado Park and Extension 1, Pionierspark Extension 1, Kleine Kuppe and Extension 1, Auasblick and Extensions 1 & 2, and Windhoek Industrial Extensions 13 and 14 and Haloid; this was 30% of the City at retirement date in 2008.
• Designing erven in Katima Mulilo (1200), Walvis Bay (300), Oshivelo (400), Swakopmund (modifications of existing layouts for 2000 erven), Otavi (300 industrial sites) and Windhoek (redesigning three townships creating over 1000 erven in Okuryangava and Otjomuise for low cost housing), Farm Gocheganas (75), Brakwater Portion 85 (10).
• Initiating and ensuring that public consultation does take place for major planning programmes such as the first Windhoek Structure Plan, the first Master Plan for the City Centre and the first Brakwater Guide Plan, Outdoor Advertising Policy, and the City's Local Agenda 21 initiative; this latter led to the establishment of the Windhoek Environmental Liaison Association (WELA).
• Provision of legal advice on town planning matters especially with reference to town planning scheme interpretation and drafting of town planning schemes.

Contributions towards Economic Development

The writer has been entrusted with drafting and implementing policies and development designs that have beneficially affected the economic lives of residents of Windhoek in all income categories. These policies and designs are still in use by the City and some have been copied by other local authorities. He continues to advise many private and governmental decision-makers on locational decisions for new economic initiatives.

Lecturing & Training

The writer continues to advise of town planning courses contributing as drafter of study guides, part-time lecturer and moderator for various courses at the Polytechnic of Namibia, now the Namibian University of Science & Technology, 2001 to date, including compiling and presenting the two semester course “Urban Planning and Design” (UPD411S & UPD421S) since 2008, compiler of the distance learning course “Urban Development & Management” in 2011, and facilitator of short training courses at the University of Namibia, 2009 to 2012 including acting as National Planning Conference Convener in 2012.

The writer has written and presented many papers over the course of his professional career having spoken at conferences and workshops in Namibia, South Africa, Canada and Italy on town planning subjects, and has been interviewed on Namibian national television and radio.

Service as Member of National Bodies

The writer has served on the following committees:

• Townships Board, Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing as delegate or alternate delegate for the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia; 1989 to 2009; including two years as Chairman of the Board.
• Registrar of the Namibia Council for Town and Regional Planners; 2000 to 2012.
• Ministerial Committee to establish National Strategy for settlement and issues of squatting within terms of National Housing Policy and subsequent action committees resettling squatter and single quarter communities; 1992 - 1994.
• Ministerial Advisory Board on Housing: Series of workshops to draft the National Housing Policy; 1990 - 1992.
• National Planning Commission investigation team into revised modernised planning and subdivisional law; 1992 - 1994.
• Namibia Institute of Town & Regional Planners; Various portfolios 1990 - 1996 and from 2017
• Central Region Development Advisory Committee; Advisory to the Department of Town and Regional Planning; Member and Secretary; 1978 to 1988.