27 Jul 2002

USP report says urban land rentals may be Fiji's second major land crisis

8:33 am on 27 July 2002

A second major land crisis, said to be far worse than the current expiry of farm leases is looming in Fiji.

This is when thousands of residential leases on state and indigenous land in urban areas expire in 2007.

Dr Spike Boydell of the University of the South Pacific has told Fiji TV that circumstances surrounding land legislation will only fuel confusion among the parties involved.

Dr Boydell says on of the things highlighted during the recent National Land Workshop at the USP was that there are no proper guidelines for the parties to follow when the leases expire.

He says there is an urgent need for simple legislation to set up a rent fixing formula and determine compensation to prevent conflict.