Town Planning eyeing unused lots
Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins
By GERCINE CARTER | Sun, September 12, 2010 - 12:00 AM
12 MIDNIGHT UPDATE – Barbados can no longer afford to have approved residential lots of land remaining vacant indefinitely, says Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins – considering the heavy demand for residential land.
Cummins told the Sunday Sun the time had come when the planning authorities in their advisory capacity to the Government needed to take a serious look at the situation and ask themselves “whether we can continue to subdivide land as we have been doing, creating residential lots which remain vacant in excess of ten, 20, 30 years”.
With an emphatic “no”, the Chief Town Planner argued it was not a sustainable practice “because what that does is that while you have a large volume of vacant lots, you still have a shortage of lots for persons who want to build”.
He acknowledged, however, that while the lots were vacant because they did not have structures, they did have owners who were “obviously not ready to sell”.
Citing as an example the Union Development in St Philip for which approval for subdivision had been granted in 1972, he said that 38 years later about 35 per cent of those lots were still vacant. These are included in the roughly 15 000 to 20 000 such vacant lots in Barbados.
Cummins said there were jurisdictions where people were given a specific period covering when the lot was created and when a house had to be completed.
He added the matter would be discussed as his department prepared over the next three years to make recommendations for amendments to the Physical Development Plan – which usually covers five years.
“When we start that process, looking at the manner in which we allow for the subdivision of land is something that will definitely be one of our focal points,” Cummins said.
Meanwhile plans are moving ahead for the development of the area from St David’s in Christ Church to Six Roads in St Philip, identified by the Chief Town Planner as “the fastest growing corridor in Barbados, not only in population but in other activities”.
Cummins said there would be a need for social facilities, and disclosed the Government had plans for a municipal centre at Six Roads which would take care of the police, fire station and other services for St Philip.
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Oh my God! Stop. I remember the stretch of road from St. David’s to Six Road as a bountiful sight of yams, potatoes, eddoes, corn, etc. Now they want to plant houses. Stop! Everybody in Barbados can not have a house with a backyard. Apartment buildings of eighteen stories must be built. Where are you going to plant crops? Suppose the ships stop coming? These planners heads are buried in the sand. I very much preferred the ostrich.
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Comment LinkBefore more residential building is planned Barbados needs another at least two hospitals placed where they can provide emergency services. If someone in St Lucy, St Phillip or St Joseph suffers a heart attack they are dead before an ambulance can reach them. The Queen Elizabeth needs to be razed and a smaller updated hospital should take its place, all elective surgery could be designated for that facility.
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Comment LinkAs A vacationer I always wondered why there was so much land with old builds and bush and nothing being done to it. I understand that alot of land is left to relatives who may or may not live in barbados and just dont have the money to do anything with it. But there are people who would jump at the chance to buy and build. Like myself. There should be a time limit for land that has be left after a death. When the time is up the land is put up for auction by the goverment. It would give people the chance to buy. I have ask myself what happens to land from death when know relatives come to claim it? Does it just sit there and bush over? Thanks for listening to me an investor looking to buy land and build a house.
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Comment LinkThe ........... is at Land tax and town and country . Ask where is the Plantations deeds and you will Beatrice Henry and then Violet Beckles as the owners, land registry have deeds missing or hidden , Fraud Squad was giving most of the deeds that seem to be missing from government records.By DEED Alone the CJ said when sitting on the bench but cant find the deed for the new court , By I have it and Kensington and More , what you cant find i have. crooks.
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Comment LinkMy vacant lot at 424 Ruby Park Development was purchased sometime in the late seventies. I attempted to sell said property in 2009 but because of a wall encroachment by Mr. Daniel Howard of 408 Cedar Lane, the sale could not be completed and the buyer has, naturally, reneged on the contract. Mr. Howard has refused to remove the encroachment from my property, despite several requests, and this is hindering my ability to sell. The sooner the wall is removed, the sooner the property sells and the sooner a building can be constructed on said lot. Please help!!!
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