Chancery Park plea for action as unpaved road dust chokes homes

Residents of Chancery Park, Christ Church, have been grappling with thick layers of dust filling their homes and coating their properties, which they say stem from unpaved roads leading to a nearby housing development. Despite repeated complaints, they claim their calls for help have gone unanswered.

For the past five years, they have had to constantly clean their properties and replace expensive outdoor appliances due to dust damage, they said.

Beverly Arthur-Barrow, who previously lived abroad, said she had family members taking care of the property for her. She said that although they managed as best as possible, the situation has become overbearing for her to maintain since she returned permanently this year.

“I know you have to clean stuff, but I don’t expect that I have to keep repainting every four or five months because it wears the paint down, even though it’s high industrial paint,” she explained.

“I’ve had to replace the hot tub three times because the dust gets into the motor… So it’s things like that that are really getting down now. I’ve had to replace things in the house; the windows get completely covered, and I have to get them cleaned,” Arthur-Barrow added.

A dust covered hot tub, the third replacement after the previous ones were damaged by the incessant dust. (LG)

The retiree told Barbados TODAY that just a day after paying someone to do a deep clean of the house, the dust returned and is affecting her health.

“It’s taken her two days to completely get rid of all the dust, in between the windows, the decking, and I woke up this morning and there’s a film of dust across the decking and the hot tub. I can’t keep doing this, and it’s not good for my health. I’m now going to the clinic to check up with regards to sinuses and other medical conditions, which this dust is not helping, it’s ridiculous.”

She explained that she returned to Barbados to experience the fresh air and good health and survive on her pension, which is not what she was experiencing. “I didn’t expect to be paying 700 to 900 pounds every three months to have a deep cleaning.”

She expressed her frustration with the constant cleaning. “Before I came back, I had somebody looking after the property for me, and they used to get a cleaner in like every two weeks. But now I’m trying to keep up with it myself, obviously, because I’m on a pension now, and it’s just horrendous. I can’t. I’m also helping out with my cousin because she’s not well, so I’m trying to keep up with this as well as that, and it’s too much.”

Out of desperation, she had a lawyer send a letter to the housing development company a few years ago to voice her concerns, but she has received no response since.

The retiree said that because of her location at the corner leading to the housing development, she feels she’s the most affected. Several of the homes in that area are unoccupied; some of the residents have recently passed away or travel often.

She said: “Nobody’s starting to seem to take any notice because I’ve tried contacting them directly. They’re not responding; they don’t even reply to my emails, nothing. I believe the construction has actually halted for the moment. They’re supposed to be on phase three, I think, but it’s still creating dust from the road when the cars are going up into the community they’re building.”

Arthur-Barrow explained that a recent attempt to lay gravel on the road seemed to make the problem worse. “They’ve come this week and, funnily enough, they’ve put gravel on, or whatever it is, and then someone compressed it down with a machine, but that seems to have made it worse. It’s definitely covered the ditches and holes, but as regards the dust, it’s making it worse. I don’t know whether they’re intending to tarmac it over or not.”

Arthur-Barrow said the road situation has even begun affecting her fence, which is leaning into the property. “I had to repaint the house twice since 2023. That’s ridiculous. Just because of the dust, and you know those things aren’t cheap. I notice it’s not so bad with cars, but definitely with trucks. The fences have leaned because of the vibration,” she explained.

Beverly Arthur-Barrow shows just how much her fence has been leaning since the road was scraped. (LG)

The retiree is considering organising a petition with other residents to present to the Member of Parliament for Christ Church East, Wilfred Abrahams, as she feels there has been no communication about what is going on.
Her neighbour, Wendy Critchlow-Harris, said the dust has affected her entire home, including curtains and indoor areas.

“Everything in the house is dusty. I just realised why the housekeeper was pulling down the drapes, it’s all in the curtains. The dust is a fine grit, and it’s annoying, especially when we don’t understand when it’s going to be done or what’s happening. It’s everywhere, so we’re ingesting it,” she said.

Critchlow-Harris appealed for communication from the developers or the MP to explain the situation and timeline.

She said: “There’s no communication to any of the folks on this side of the parish. If they’re coming to do something, communication would be so lovely. WhatsApp is everywhere. Connect with us, slip something in the mailbox, or put something on the CBC, whatever you need to do. But this is now intolerable. If it has to do with the building of phase three, the developer and the parish head, Mr Abrahams, need to come together and inform the residents here about what’s going on. This is the end of 2025.”

The residents are also concerned about the health implications of the dust.

Critchlow-Harris added: “It’s not COVID; we’re not wearing masks, and we’re not told to wear masks, but I know we’re ingesting it. A lot of people here are getting sick and don’t understand why. We have elderly residents in this development who have no clue what’s going on. It would be nice to hear from those in charge. We’re taxpaying citizens.”

Member of Parliament for the Christ Church East constituency Wilfred Abrahams told Barbados Today that he is aware of the situation.

“It’s very unfortunate because of the complaints in relation to the potholes and the unevenness of the road, we had the road scraped by MTW (Ministry of Transport and Works) to try to minimise the discomfort, but that seemed to have yielded its own challenges.”

He explained the reason for the road scraping, “The intention is to pave the stretch all the way down to the oblong water above. I have been advised by the Ministry of Public Works that the road is in design phase, and as soon as the design has been completed and approved, the roadworks will start.”

He expressed his sympathy with their situation and explained the initial scraping was after meeting with residents and hearing their complaints about the potholes, he promised to visit the residents again to hear their additional concerns. “I appreciate and sympathise with what the residents are going through, and we will work assiduously to minimise any discomfort that is being experienced until such a time as the road can be properly paved.”

louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb