Middle-income dwellings in Bridgetown could help breathe new life into the capital

A seasoned real estate professional is suggesting that owners of unoccupied properties in Bridgetown convert them into housing that would attract middle-income earners.

This suggestion has come from Real Estate Broker Arthur Ramsay, Managing Director of Ramsay Real Estate, who lauded the Mia Mottley administration for its plans to transform the old seven-storey Treasury Building into a residential facility.

Government has earmarked the now-decommissioned Treasury Building that once housed the Treasury Department, the Central Bank, Inland Revenue Department and then the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), for housing development that would see studio and two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors and commercial entities on the ground floor.

As part of its broad plan to redevelop Bridgetown, Government has also been developing housing areas on the outskirts of The City, with the latest being the high-rise housing development at Whitepark Road.

Ramsay, who has some 28 years’ experience in various aspects of real estate planning and development, told Barbados TODAY this move was critical to breathe life into the City.

At the same time, however, he has proposed that owners of buildings in Broad Street and other areas of Bridgetown that were finding it difficult to get them rented should convert them into housing.

“For those owners of properties in Bridgetown that cannot get certain sections rented for commercial activity I think they should look at configuring them to be high-end condos and high-end middle income condos for persons to either rent or purchase in some instance so that persons can be back in town living and operating,” said Ramsay.

“Ultimately, I think if we do that and we even look at making Broad Street more pedestrian in nature, where we may have trams or street cars being used – persons can park on the outskirts and then be able to either walk into Broad Street and around or catch a streetcar that passes through The City. It will encourage more development and more interest back into Broad Street and Bridgetown at large,” he explained.

In recent years, there have been numerous complaints that The City has become “dead” with a noticeable increase in the number of vacant retail spaces and no nightlife.

A survey by real estate company Terra Caribbean in 2021 showed that Barbadians were split on whether Bridgetown was ready for high-rise residential development.

At the same time, 32 per cent of the 300 people surveyed indicated that they were willing to live there. Some 52 per cent said at the time that they believed it would be more suitable for students while 43 per cent said Welcome Stampers, 31 per cent said expatriates, 22 per cent said retirees and eight per cent said it would be more suitable for families.

With Government’s plan to build more housing in and around The City to help breathe life into the capital, Ramsay said this was “an excellent move”.

“We need to have more people living in Bridgetown,” he declared.

“We need to have a redevelopment of Bridgetown for it to be able to thrive. The problem with Bridgetown is that it is a dying city. After 4 o’clock most days, unless there are sales going on, everything goes to sleep. So there is not enough activity, and when you don’t have activity and people living there that brings crime, opportunity for lawlessness and all sorts of negative things,” said Ramsay.

The senior real estate professional maintained that housing development in Bridgetown should be done to attract young professionals.

“I am not talking about where you have a little hole here and there, we are talking about young people being encouraged to have condominiums and have nice properties within the Broad Street and Bridgetown areas where people can live and function, and to have nightlife, and restaurants being opened until 1 and 2 and 3 o’clock in the morning where you could actually have bars and things going on,” he said.

Noting that many cities around the world consisted of residential living quarters and very vibrant nightlife, Ramsay insisted “I believe that Broad Street and Bridgetown at large needs to have more of that happening.

“I do think it is something that is quite doable. It is not beyond us. It is something that will bring Bridgetown back to life. I salute the Prime Minister for the [Golden Square] Freedom Park and what has been done with that space. If we can build on that then we can have more things happening within Bridgetown and Broad Street and those outer areas of town and make the town come alive again, as opposed to it just being dark and desolate after certain times,” he said.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb