A group of Glen Lorne residents has secured an interim High Court order to stop a property development company from continuing construction on a wetland area. The order, granted by consent on Monday, temporarily halts all work by Chun Loo Investments pending a final court ruling on the project’s legality.
The application was filed by 26 residents of the Harare suburb, who are challenging the development located at stand 711, also known as the formerly sub-divided Lot 4 of 711. Justice Samuel Deme granted the interim interdict in Chambers.
According to court documents, the residents argued that the construction site is a designated wetland, which is protected under Zimbabwean environmental law. The application named Chun Loo Investments, the Harare City Council, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), and the Minister of Local Government as respondents in the case.
The court order directs Chun Loo Investments to cease all construction, excavation, and development activities on the property. It also mandates the company to remove all of its construction equipment from the site until the High Court makes a final determination on the matter.
The legal challenge by the residents seeks to permanently prohibit the development, asserting that the necessary approvals granted by the city council and the EMA were improper given the land’s status as a wetland. Wetlands in Zimbabwe are protected under the Environmental Management Act, and their preservation is also supported by international agreements to which the country is a signatory, such as the Ramsar Convention.
Disputes over construction on wetlands have become a recurring issue in Harare and other urban areas in Zimbabwe. Environmental advocates and residents have frequently raised concerns that such developments disrupt water sources, reduce biodiversity, and increase the risk of flooding.
The interim order will remain in effect while the main legal challenge proceeds through the High Court. A date for the full hearing, which will examine the evidence from both the residents and the respondents regarding the environmental status of the land and the validity of the development permits, has not yet been set. Representatives for Chun Loo Investments and the government agencies named in the suit have not issued public statements on the interim order.
