Gov’t to blame, DLP leader says of Joe’s River Bridge controversy

Government must be held accountable in the Joe’s River Bridge controversy that has seen St Joseph residents facing off against a developer in court.
That is the position of President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Dr Ronnie Yearwood who said that amid protests and the legal battle over Ullswater Investments Limited’s construction of concrete columns that residents say will impede their access to key areas in the community, “let us always be mindful of who approves these developments”.
“The guy [developer] did not just start building on his own. It had to be approved through Town and Country Planning and the person responsible for that is the Prime Minister [Mia Amor Mottley],” he said during a post-budget press conference at the DLP’s George Street headquarters on Wednesday.
“In some ways, if the protestors wanted to protest they should have gone to Bay Street or Ilaro Court because that is the person that has the power to deal with these kinds of measures.
“So it is almost tragically comic that you have an AG [Attorney General] saying that it ain’t got nothing to do with him, but he is elected to be the representative of the people of St Joseph. You have the Prime Minister not making the appropriate representations on the issue, though the approval had to come through her in the first place,” Dr Yearwood added.
Last week, High Court judge Justice Madam Barbara Cooke-Alleyne granted a temporary injunction to stop the developer of the old Edgewater Hotel property from continuing the construction of two concrete columns at the bridge that residents say will block their access to Joe’s River Gully and an area of significance commonly referred to as the Tea Cup and Saucer.
A ruling on whether Ullswater Investments Limited will be allowed to continue construction or ordered to demolish the existing structure is pending, with the case set to resume on April 24.
A six-person committee has since been formed to represent the interests of residents in the matter, including in pending talks with the developer. The community has the support of Cultural Ambassador Dr Anthony Gabby Carter and veteran trade unionist Sir Roy Trotman who grew up in the parish.
The DLP president said the Joe’s River Bridge controversy is the latest incident that should indicate to Barbadians that they must get serious about development projects in the country.
“We have to start questioning who owns this country, how do we want the land to be owned, do we want to create the idea of freehold and leasehold? And it’s fine if you are non-Barbadian or non-CARICOM; you can come, you can buy land, but you cannot buy it on a freehold. You can lease this but, essentially, this is not yours to own.
“We know that happens in other Caribbean countries. It has not affected their investment and we can do it too. It is time that we start to recognise that this is our country and it has to be developed in a way that is meaningful for us. We have to be at the core of what Barbados’ development is about and that is important,” Dr Yearwood said.
(AH)