MUMBAI: Ten days after Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) finalised New York-based landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations to design the 130-acre “green necklace” along the Coastal Road, a citizens’ group has raised concerns over the proposed plan, saying the reclaimed land should be used mainly to create a large native coastal forest instead of being developed around visitor attractions such as a zoo, food zones and cultural spaces.
Its concerns relate to the proposed inclusion of ticketed areas, an aviary, zoo and petting zoo, nature theatre, children’s playscapes, food and beverage structures, food trucks, parking and other visitor infrastructure.
The group said it was “very concerned” that the masterplan for the Coastal Road Gardens appeared to be moving towards a destination centred on attractions.
It said the residential areas next to the reclaimed land are more than 100 years old, with narrow roads and infrastructure that was not designed to handle the visitor volumes expected at a new city-scale destination. The gardens are planned on reclaimed land along the southern stretch of the Coastal Road and are expected to include gardens and recreational spaces, sports facilities, children’s play areas, petting zoos, cultural spaces, food and beverage facilities and other visitor infrastructure. Mumbai Coastal Forest has also raised concerns over the impact of visitor traffic on adjoining neighbourhoods.
