City Hall must produce the plans for housing in some areas

Feb 27, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,

Of recent, there has been much ado, and quite justifiably so, about a vulgar attempt at land grabbing by the Town Clerk of Georgetown.
First, there was the issue whereby residents of Subryanville had to robustly voice their concerns about the use of the Farnum Playfield when they observed the proprietor of a school in the area, which is an anomaly in itself having a school located in a residential area, developing a portion of the ground for exclusive use by her students, thereby restricting the use of the ground by residents of the community.
Following this defilement in Subryanville came the fiasco in Bel Air Park, in which members of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC) have raised questions over the actions of Town Clerk, in relation to the destruction of the green space earmarked as the Bel Air Park playfield.
The playfield is at the centre of a legal battle between the M&CC and an Attorney-at-law who is representing the residents of the community. Council had intended to sell or lease the reserved community lands to a private developer. It was discovered that representatives of the Council were in negotiations with a local housing developer, to transfer to him prime community lands despite a restriction on the transport of the property for use for community purposes only.
Even more alarming, it was discovered that plan was for the developer to use the land to construct houses for members of the city administration, including the Town Clerk. The ruling of the Court, which is being appealed by the Town Clerk without the knowledge and or permission of the Council, essentially blocked the M&CC from carrying out its intentions for the land.
However, there is a third and correspondingly egregious situation existing, whereby the Town Clerk and some of his colleagues have built two model houses in the south of the city on the City’s reserve. The intention is for many more of these houses to be constructed on these designated open green spaces or state land for additional municipal employees to occupy and own.
A situation similar to the one in Bel Air Park, but in a more advanced stage exists. Unfortunately the residents of this area have not been as proactive as those in Subryanville or Bel Air Park, which has apparently emboldened the Town Clerk.
I sincerely hope that the City Councillors of Georgetown would also launch an investigation into this unhappy and unlawful state of affairs just as they will do as it relates to the other two more affluent areas that were referred to.
Also it is hoped that the Minister of Communities who would have written at least two letters to the Mayor of Georgetown about the City Council’s reported attempts to repurpose community playgrounds, but who has not received a response, would also write to her again specifically requesting that Council turn over to central government all documentation relating to its plans to build these houses for its employees within the green spaces in the south of the city.

Sincerely
Sean Levius

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