Valdeen Shears-Neptune
It was a case of repetitions, as far as residents of Trincity and environs were concerned, following the close of a meeting with a team sent by Bhagwansingh Hardware and Steel Industries Ltd.
The residents, who are protesting the construction of a five-storey commercial building at the Trincity Central Road, were represented by the community body, Trincity Advocates for a Sustainable Community (TASC).
Both parties gathered yesterday at the auditorium of the Bishop Anstey East High School, Trincity, for the second consultation meeting to discuss the residents' ongoing concerns.
During the interactive meeting, traffic in the area was raised multiple times.
Minister of Planning and MP for the area Camille Robinson-Regis said she was committed to holding discussions with Minister of Works and Transport Fitzgerald Hinds to find a long-term solution to residents’ continued traffic woes.
Also there to lend support was Dr Carol James, an executive of the Save our Green Space, who took on the construction of a sporting complex in the Tacarigua area and won in the courts.
James noted that the developers should refer to the judge's recommendations that the impact on the community, environment and residents aways be considered from the planning stage.
“People before buildings,” she urged the company’s team, which consisted of independent environmental consultant Ruquyyah Abdullah; Christian Edgehill, structural engineer of Planviron; Imtiyaz Adam, managing director of Adams Project and Construction Ltd; and Thomas McCartney, architect at OBMI.
James also noted that the developers continued to mention the area was earmarked for commercial use, but now housed a community.
The minister reminded James that there had been no change in the zoning, and reiterated that the initial plans had always earmarked the area for commercial use.
She said as MP for the area and minister she was now caught between a “rock and a hard place.”
Robinson-Regis also noted that when protest action was first taken, last year, she had stipulated that all statutory approvals be re-examined.
They were all found to be above board, she said.
James and other residents questioned if the company was setting aside the ethical and moral aspect of their grievances based on legalities.