Government is releasing more land on Lower Bay Street, St Michael, for the Hyatt Hotel development.
Minister of Housing and Lands George Payne introduced a resolution in the House of Assembly yesterday to vest another two parcels of Crown land in the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) to be subsequently leased or sold to Hyatt developer, Vision Development Inc.
The first, a 509 square metre parcel next door to Bethel Methodist Church and formerly occupied by the Government Electrical Engineering Department, is being provided for possible construction of a bridge to link the seaside Hyatt property to that area.
Payne informed the House that the developers had already obtained planning permission for that bridge, though he pointed out “it may not be necessary for this bridge as part of the project”.
But in the event it was needed, he said Cabinet had set down conditions for the developers, as had been drawn up by the previous Government, and which he outlined.
Among those proposals was the issuing of a licence to the developer for a term of 25 years, with an option to renew for a further 25 years; payment of an annual licence fee of $1 000 plus VAT with a review every five years, and the developer being responsible for the cost of construction and maintenance of the bridge.
He added the developer “should indemnify and keep the Crown harmless from all and any loss arising from the use of the bridge. The developer should be responsible to keep the bridge in repair and ensure the safety of all users in accordance with the laws of Barbados”.
In the case of the second parcel of land being vested in the BTII yesterday, Payne said that 69 square metres was part of the original 2 833 square metres which had already been vested in the BTII, “but it includes a drain, and it was felt that this drain should not have been included in the original vesting”. The St Andrew MP said since this piece of land “straddled” the property the developer had already purchased from DETCO Motors, “it is important that this area be acquired as well.
“After the vesting, it will be sold to Visions as part of the (Hyatt) development,” he added. “I can’t stress too much this is a development which was formulated by the last administration and we are just continuing governance in this respect.” (GC)
