Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown Corey Lane is reporting there are signs of a resolution in the land dispute between the government and Savvy on the Bay owner.
He also assured efforts were being made to ensure vendors on the property can continue to operate for even longer than their current agreement indicates.
Two days after Alan Kinch, head of Savoy Development (Barbados) Inc., the operators of the food truck business, reported that no progress was being made, Lane said that while he was not directly involved in the negotiations, he had spoken to all parties concerned and was satisfied a resolution is in sight.
His comments come as senior ministers involved in the matter have declined to speak to the media on the issue.
Lane, in whose constituency the Bay Street, St Michael business operates, told Barbados TODAY on Friday: “In speaking to the vendors in the area, including Copacabana, having contact with Mr Kinch and other people within his organisation and with the government and BTII [Barbados Tourism Investment Incorporated], I am totally satisfied that this matter will be resolved in an amicable way and that the residents of the City of Bridgetown can continue to benefit from this empowering financial project, but also from the entertainment and great cuisine that this project offers.”
“Though not involved in the negotiations, speaking to the individual parties, I am satisfied that this is going in the right direction for the benefit of all involved – the residents and the owners,” he added.
Lane said that he recently had the opportunity to review the matter, even though not as fully as he would have liked, by speaking to Prime Minister Mia Mottley and examining the public comments of Attorney General Dale Marshall.
The government wants to take over and build a car park on the beachfront land that Kinch bought from the BTII in 2015, during the Freundel Stuart administration.
“I am . . .happy to report that this government is not looking to shut down there in order to make it a car park. I have seen the official correspondence relating to that, and actually, this government is committed to making sure there is business like that in a legitimate way,” Lane said.
He said that according to the document, there is an agreement between the owner and persons facilitated there to be able to operate up to March next year.
However, the City MP said, “It is the desire of the prime minister not to have them there [only] up to March next year, but indefinitely. To have them there in a proper, organised and legal fashion, which blessed my heart.
“It is not only the policy of this government to make sure that vendors are fully facilitated, but it is the practice as well…. If you look at the legislative agenda, the legislation the government has passed, you see how we have decriminalised vendors and vending. We have the vending space and the increasing facilitation for vendors and small businesses, and Savvy on the Bay is really no different.”
He noted that across the beaches of Barbados, the Government has empowered people to conduct business up to the high-water mark where they can have umbrellas and beach chairs, once that is done in a legitimate way.
Stressing that the Mia Mottley administration cannot be a lawmaker and a lawbreaker, Lane, who is also Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General with responsibility for Crime Prevention, said the rules had to be followed.
“What the government is saying, just like many hawkers and vendors, you just can’t go and set up any and everywhere. There must be the Planning Department involved, the Fire Department…all the health and safety measures must be deployed, because if something goes awry…was the government responsible? Was the regulatory framework in place?
“From my understanding, there are a number of plots [of land]. One of them would obviously include a car park, the same buying and selling of fruits and vegetables, food and beverages and places to relax…. There must be planning permission for anything that is built. So, between . . . all the various players, a proper application must be done and the law must be followed,” the Member of Parliament for the City advised.
In August, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced she had set a deadline for Attorney General Dale Marshall and Senior Minister of Planning and Development Dr William Duguid to wrap up negotiations with Kinch.
However, in an interview with Barbados TODAY on Wednesday, the businessman reported that “nothing is happening”.
He complained that he has not received a reply to several emails sent to the government.
“My attorneys said he spoke to Dr Duguid last week, and he is waiting on an email from Dr Duguid or Mr Dale Marshall,” Kinch said.
However, Duguid has declined to discuss the matter in the media.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
