​What is the ISDP - The Integrated Sustainable Development Plan (ISDP) is a long-term plan aimed at putting the towns of Kokstad and Franklin on to a path of sustainability, building resilience to climate change, energy challenges and social and economic forces. The plan integrates existing plans and strategies (IDPs, SDFs, LED strategies, housing plans and so on) into a coherent, integrated plan that will put Kokstad onto a path of sustainability.

​

The foundation of the Integrated Sustainable Development Plan for Kokstad and Franklin is the Development Charter. In the charter the GKM community and development partners commit to change, working and planning together with organised stakeholders for a new sustainable trajectory for development, pursuing sustainable and functionally integrated development practices. The charter embraces a new mindset to ensure the sustainability of future development initiatives and projects, especially where short-term expediency may tempt compromise. The aim is to achieve sustainable service delivery, building on local assets and knowledge and exploiting the economic potential of the region for the equitable benefit of all people of the GKM. The principles of justice, zero waste, resource resilience and food security, support for the vulnerable, safety, respect for diversity and heritage are central to the ISDP.​

The Charter was developed and signed by the GKM under the guidance of the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) as part of the DBSA’s Sustainable Communities Programme.​

The outcomes of the implementation of this plan should be that Kokstad and Franklin operate better socially, economically, spatially and environmentally. The long-term, 25-year time horizon for this plan implies that these outcomes should be sustainable into the future.

The intended outcome of this process is a set of clearly defined and co-developed strategic objectives that are both meaningful and resonant to the communities of Kokstad and Franklin, and that provide visionary direction, strategic clarity and a clear pathway to programmes and projects for the next twenty-five years. At the same time these strategic objectives, programmes and plans should be viewed as living, breathing objectives that may adapt over time in response to feedback and learning as Kokstad and Franklin embark on pathways to sustainable development.