Community Group to take legal action against businesses in Lamaha Gardens

Mar 19, 2019 News

The Lamaha Gardens Community Cooperative Society (LGCCS) has moved towards taking legal action against businesses operating in the residential zone.
President of the LGCSS, Ronald Alli, confirmed that lawyer’s letters were sent to at least 10 businesses operating in the community. He said that businesses were notified that the operations are in violation of the land use regulations for Lamaha Gardens and failure to comply will result in legal action.
The Community Group President had raised concerns about the continuing disregard for the zoning laws by both authorities and private citizens.
Alli said that over the past 15 years, the Society has been trying to get the attention of both the government and the city council to uphold the zoning laws but to no avail.
Alli noted that over the years, the residents have been abandoned by the public sector authorities in their quest to address many negative influences imposed on the community.
There have been businesses, an office by a government agency and incursions by cattle from neighbouring communities among the issues affecting the residents, despite complaints to government agencies, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Mayor and City Council.
“These impositions are inconsistent with the objective of orderly and harmonious development and preservation of the amenities set in the planning scheme provided by the Central Housing and Planning Authority, for our community.
Lamaha Gardens was laid out in 1966 and developed as a residential community based upon a planning scheme approved by the CH&PA.
Typically, such planning schemes seek to provide for orderly and harmonious land use development through the zoning of land and the presentation of amenities. Therefore, any activities not consistent with these objectives are not to be tolerated.”
According to Alli, this includes rearing of animals such as cows and the intrusion of incompatible land uses, such as commercial businesses operating in an area approved as a residential scheme.
He noted that the residential scheme is approved by the CH&PA with conditions consistent with objectives of orderly and harmonious development.
“Consequentially and in order to safeguard the rights of proprietors to enjoy the use of their properties consistent with the approved schemes, the clauses were included in the transports issued to property owners that no cattle , pigs , donkeys, sheep, horses or other livestock shall be kept or reared in the community.
The lots shall be used for residential purposes only. No shop, trade, industry or business whatsoever shall be carried on the said lots and no advertisement shall be erected or exhibited thereon.”
“Since then, nothing has happened to change that position. Therefore, all regulatory agencies including the Georgetown Municipality have a statutory duty to safeguard the residential status of Lamaha Gardens.”
Last week, members of the Council including City Mayor Ubraj Narine, and Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore, committed to helping address the concerns of the residents.
Mayor Narine told a community gathering that the City Works Committee should be among those to be commended for the effort in Lamaha Gardens. He assured the residents that the new council will work to have Georgetown retain the title of being the ‘Garden City’.

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