Construction of Lusignan heliport commences

Jul 19, 2020 News

– but now residents being consulted

Residents of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD), are complaining of being left in the dark as construction of a US$15M commercial heliport continues.

The heliport is situated in close proximity to the sea defence reserve and homes.

Google Maps image showing the location of the planned heliport to the seawall.

They say that there was no proper public consultations.
These concerns were raised after the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) sent out public consultation forms on July 13 to residents of the community notifying them of the application for the construction of the heliport. This was more than a year after initial constructions began.
The forms, which were distributed to residents, sought feedback from residents on their feelings concerning the construction of the heliport and whether the project will have an impact on the community.
Kaieteur News reached out to CH&PA to ascertain details of the ongoing project, especially with regards to the level of consultations.
A representative of CH&PA informed Kaieteur News that contact should be made to the department heads of the authority who were not in at the time.
Furthermore, Kaieteur News reached out to head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, after residents claimed that the ongoing project, which borders both residential and commercial lands, was in breach of several environmental guidelines including its close proximity to the sea defence reserve.Responding to these allegations, Dr. Adams said that the EPA had followed the appropriate guidelines in the granting of permit for the commencement of construction to Orinduik Development Inc.
Adams additionally noted that the development company was required to submit two separate applications, the first being an application to construct the heliport facility including a hangar for maintenance of helicopters, a two-storey passenger terminal and a fuel farm for storage and dispensation and the second being an application for the construction of a deep-water wharf on the shorefront of the sea defence reserve.
The EPA head informed this publication that permission was granted for the first application on the fulfillment of requirements by the company in the application process.
These requirements, he stated, included the granting of permission for the construction of the heliport by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ministry of the Presidency and the submission of a no-objection from the Civil Defence Commission and Neighbourhood Democratic Council. Expounding further, Adams noted that permission has not yet been granted for the second application since the company did not meet the requirements necessary.
When asked if an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted to determine whether the construction of the deep-water wharf will directly affect the sea defence reserve, Adams indicated that it will be done once the developer submits the necessary documents required.
He further noted that it is only after the assessment is conducted will the EPA make its final determination.
In addition to addressing concerns raised regarding the lack of public consultations, Dr. Adams revealed that the developer along with Ministry officials held a public meeting in February 2019, before the commencement of construction.
However, it was poorly attended by residents.
Dr. Adams further indicated that persons were notified of the project through its advertisement in the daily newspapers and publication on various media sites as well as the issuance of a 40-day public notice.
Adding to this, Dr. Adams stated that persons were given adequate opportunities to raise their concerns about the project.
According to the Managing Director of Orinduik Development Inc., Mr. Brian Backer in a televised interview back in 2019, the primary objective of the proposed heliport is to provide an independent facility for helicopter operations in close proximity to Georgetown, and to facilitate the growing need for such air transport services coming from many sectors, including the extractive industry.
Backer further explained that the heliport will provide a location for the voluntary basing of helicopter operators providing commercial services (moving people and cargo, mining, tourism, oil industry, construction, agriculture, news and media) from and near Georgetown and is also intended to support the medical, coast guard, security, search and rescue, law enforcement and other emergency services.