The plans for this hotel must be reversed

Dec 30, 2023 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

Kaieteur News – During his address to a recent event hosted by the Private Sector Commission, President Irfaan Ali announced plans for the construction of a hotel, conference and entertainment facility that will be combined with a modern boardwalk along the seawall in Georgetown. The hotel is planned to be built by an investment group from Qatar.

While the President was not precise as to the location of the hotel, based on the few details that emerged during his announcement, it can be safely said that the hotel is slated for construction in the Thomas Lands area.

If this is the case, then the investors need to reexamine their plans. Such a hotel would be in breach of the original deed under which those lands are to be used.

Hotels are not permitted in that area. The area known as Thomas Lands has been designated to be used for educational and recreational purposes. No hotel therefore can be built in that area.

According to one source, Thomas Lands was originally a plantation which was owned by the Hogg family. The lands were donated to the Georgetown City Council on condition that they are to be utilized solely for educational and recreational purposes. This is why no commercial enterprises are supposed to be located in Thomas Lands and why several schools and sports facilities are found in that area.

The conditions under which the land was originally handed over to the City Council are most likely contained in a legally-binding Deed of Covenant. A Deed of Covenant is a legal document that is often used to impose certain obligations or restrictions on the use of the land. Those obligations accord with “run with the land” principle which obligates subsequent owners of the land to honour the original obligations.

Now is not the first time that an attempt has been made to obtain one of these sports grounds in the area to build a hotel. Years ago, there was a similar proposal but this was rebuffed on the grounds that the original Deed for Thomas Lands enjoys legal protection and cannot be violated through the establishment of commercial enterprises.

It was to be expected that knowledgeable civil society personnel and sports organizations would have by now already come out in opposition to the plans to erect a hotel in the area. But nothing has been heard of them in the same way as nothing has yet been heard from the National Trust of Guyana.

When the APNU+AFC painted State House in green, there was a huge public outcry. When contacted, this newspaper reported the National Trust as indicating that no approval was given for the changes. In response, the government contended that it was not aware that any laws were broken.

While it is not clear whether the Thomas Lands area falls under the National Trust, given the historic deed under which the lands were originally given away, the area does have heritage value and therefore guidance can be offered to the government that its actions are an affront of the historic heritage of the area.

The PPPC is not known for its respect for heritage. It’s neglect of the old New Amsterdam Hospital is a case in point. The massive support given to the renovation of City Hall may be influenced by the need to mitigate the eventuality of a public fallout in the event that structure had collapsed because of neglect.

It is possible that the President may not have been aware of the conditions under which Thomas Lands was handed over to the City Council in 1863. But now that he knows he should reverse course and advise the Qatari investors that the area is off limits to an investment in a hotel.

The President has already, however, put his feet in his mouth, when he said that the development of the hotel was part of the country’s Urban Development Plan. He should make this plan available to the wider public because, as is known, since the PPP/C came into office, zoning, a key element of any urban renewal plan, has long been tossed aside.

The late Rex McKay had repeatedly pointed out the many violations of the city’s zoning laws in respect to the Queenstown area. His fulminations fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. Today the city is chaotic and disordered because of the palpable lack of zoning.

It was even rumoured that the PPP/C wanted to extend the city’s commercial development to the traditional low-income areas of Charlestown and Albouystown. Residential properties are quickly becoming an endangered species in Georgetown and if this hotel is built, it could result in the erasure of the open spaces associated with the north of Georgetown. The National Park could well become the next urban resort.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

---

• announcement, Construction, President Irfaan Ali, Private Sector Commission, Qatar

---