Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
Strangers squabble over property as M&CC demolish building
As the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) continues to clamp down on illegal structures and buildings. It is also targeting those that are health and safety hazards.
The owners of a house situated at W ½ Lot 46 Norton Street, South Section Lodge, Georgetown, were served notices by the M&CC to demolish their three-storey building.
Kaieteur News understands that Juliet McCurdy has been living there since 1994 and has been responsible for paying the rates and taxes in a timely manner. She explained that a man whom she called ‘Bryan’ was the owner of the building but he died some years later and she continued living on the property.
Yesterday while men were hard at work demolishing the building, McCurdy was in a heated conversation with other persons who had gathered on the roadway to observe what was transpiring.
She said that she knew the deceased ‘Bryan’ personally and that he was the sole owner of the property. However, a young man named Dwayne Gentle some time in March, produced documents including a letter from the M&CC stating that the building must be demolished, and claiming that the property and building belonged to his grandmother, Alma Allison.
The woman said that she was given a copy of the letter which stated that the M&CC had found the establishment to be in a “ruinous state and dangerous to occupants” and as a result the owner (who was identified in the letter to be Dwayne Gentle) would have to commence “taking down the building” three days after the letter was issued.
Further, within 30 days after, the building must be completely demolished or legal action would be taken against the owner.
Gentle was at the location while the demolition of the building was in progress. With him was another man, who was identified as the “new owner of the property”. It was reported that Gentle recently sold the property to this man.
Gentle and McCurdy produced their copies of the letter from the M&CC which was dated March 14, 2011 and signed by City Engineer, Gregory Erskine.
Neighbours were arguing that even if McCurdy did not own the property, the M&CC should have given her ample time or notice to remove her belongings and to find another location to live, since this property has been her home for a number of years, and since as she explained, she has “nowhere else to go”.
McCurdy proclaimed, “The right owner of the place is Bryan. Dwayne Gentle does be in a lot of fraud stories and I sure he went and get false paper. This is not he place”.
The building which was in progress of being demolished after the owner(s) received letter(s) from the Mayor & City Council stating that the establishment was in a ruinous state and dangerous to occupants.
She claims that her letter which was dated March 14, 2011 was only delivered to her during last week so she did not even receive a proper two weeks notice by anyone to start moving her belongings even though she has no place to live other than at the property in question.
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