Objection to 10-storey condominium complex

By Emmanuel Joseph

A cultural activist has filed a formal objection with the Town Planning and Development Department (TPDD) to the proposed construction of a 10-storey condominium complex on Hastings, Christ Church.

In an August 10, 2023 letter to the TPDD, Annalee Davis said the building would be too tall for the already congested area and would cause traffic, drainage and air pollution issues.

However, Senior Minister in charge of Infrastructural Projects and Town Planning Dr William Duguid told Barbados TODAY that no decision has yet been taken on the application and the matter was at the beginning of a “long” process.

In her correspondence to the TPDD, Davis said it did not seem sensible to grant planning permission for the building on the small plot of land as the amount of public space was “woefully” inadequate.

A sign posted on the proposed site, on which a small building is located, indicates that the plan is for the construction of a 10-storey building with 25 condominiums and 27 parking spaces.

“The proposed structure is too tall for this heavily inhabited location,” Davis wrote to the TPDD. “It will make the area feel too dense as it is being built on too small a footprint, cause traffic congestion on an already highly-trafficked main road, contribute to drainage issues, and increase air pollution in an already vulnerable area of the island on the south coast.”

The visual artist also argued that the project did not include landscape buffers and that there was no “reasonable” public frontage for such a large building.

Her objections came against the background of the construction of another concrete structure nearby, which she said was “causing grave immediate risks to humans and the environment while demonstrating disrespect for the neighbours on the northern side of the construction site”.

She told the Planning Department that some elderly homeowners have been cleaning cement off their cars and front deck, half of their driveway had collapsed, and their generator and gas line were damaged when the construction caused their wall to crumble.

“Building waste is being dumped onto the adjacent beachfront, undoubtedly making its way into the oceans, negatively impacting the marine environment,” Davis lamented.

She expressed fear of a similar situation if the condominium complex is given the green light.

“We have a Town Planning and Development Department to craft innovative, sustainable initiatives that benefit this small place where we live. Granting permission for oversized buildings reveals the limited imagination of Barbados’ Government and its corporate sector to respond to the urgency of the times we live in,” Davis asserted.

Referencing the department’s website, she pointed out that the state agency is supposed to be “providing Barbados with one of the most comprehensive, efficient, balanced and sustainable physical planning systems in the Caribbean region” and “promote the green economy in Barbados through sustainable tourism, economic development and resilient infrastructure”.

Davis noted that the TPDD website also states that for commercial properties, “the aggregate ground floor area should not exceed 50 per cent of the net land area”.

“From the plans shared, it looks like the footprint of this building exceeds 50 per cent of the net land area,” she said.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Minister Duguid said that since the passage of the new Planning Development Act, there is a requirement that an advertisement be placed on the site of any proposed development above a certain size.

“The reason the advertisement is there is so that people have a right to lodge their objections. From there, after the advertisements are completed; the next stage is the Environmental Impact Assessments which are required; town hall meetings are required, which are listed in the legislation that says different developments need different amounts,” he said.

“It goes to the Board and the Board does its terms of reference to say what it wants to be done in the Environmental Impact Assessment…then once that is done and completed, then the whole application goes to the Planning and Development Board for a decision.

“So just because it is at the end of the advertisement, does not mean it is at the end of the process…because that’s what people seem to think. It is still a long process to go,” Dr Duguid highlighted.

Responding to Davis’ complaints about the impact of the other concrete structure on residents and the environment, he said “the fact that it has been built, obviously they already have approval”

“From the time it has planning permission, that is the end of the Planning Department application unless they contravene the compliances. In other words, if I gave a planning application permission for seven storeys and they go up nine storeys without coming back and saying ‘I want a revision’, then that would come under us,” he explained.

“But if you have followed…the certificate of compliance…once that person has done what they say they will do, it doesn’t really come back to Planning except to give the compliance certificate to prove that they have done what they said they were going to do,” the Senior Minister emphasised.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb