Yet another landlord has blocked off a path that was being used as an access road by residents for several years.
Leroy Stuart of Marley Vale, St Philip, erected galvanized sheets across his property earlier this month, effectively preventing vehicular access to the area, where more than ten householders, including his children and grandchildren, reside.
Angry residents such as Nikita Marshall and Donna St Hill called the act “selfish”.
Marshall explained that before the fence was erected, she heard that Stuart had complained about neighbourhood children playing in the area.
“The next day I?left home and when I got back that night, my boyfriend swing in his car and he was turning into the fence,” she cried.
She also expressed concern that Stuart had plans to erect more fencing across the land, given that he had also burned the grass.
She said other residents had called the Town & Country Planning Department and were informed that an officer would be sent to the area to investigate the matter.
An upset St Hill, who has lived in the area for over 18 years, said she also called constituency representative Michael Lashley but was still waiting for him to come out to the close-knit neighbourhood.
“From the time I?was living up here, that was the road. This is real terrible. If there is a fire or a sick person out here, how will the fire truck or the ambulance get to them?” she asked.
When contacted by telephone, Stuart said he had blocked off the area because he was fed up with people driving across his land.
“I?see these vehicles driving in and out all through the day and night and they don’t even speak to me,” he stated.
He also claimed that illegal activity was taking place in the area.
“The police came out here and found dope. [People] are selling dope up here,” he charged.
The elderly man pointed out that he had left about four feet of space so that people could walk through.
“If they want to drive they can use the other side,” he said in reference to a rocky track that leads to the back of the houses.
However, residents, who called Stuart “a difficult person”, said he should at least have compassion for his children and grandchildren and remove the fence.
