SYLVIA?BISHOP? HAD TO MOVE SWIFTLY to secure furniture, tools and other equipment when officials from the Town & Country Planning Department swooped down on her Grazettes, St Michael home to demolish what they deemed an illegally constructed shed.
The shed made of galvanized sheets, which was attached to Bishop’s house at Pillersdorf Development, was being used as a workshop by her and her partner who have a small furniture business.
The devastated woman stood helplessly by and watched as it was completely demolished, but she managed to salvage the galvanized sheets.
Acting Deputy Chief Town Planner George Browne, who directed the demolition undertaken by workmen of the Ministry of Transport and Works, told the MIDWEEK NATION that Bishop had been served with an enforcement notice to remove the shed.
“She was given adequate notice but it was not removed, and we are here to carry out the enforcement,” he said, as police officers also stood by to ensure that there was no disturbance.
The removal of the shed also followed several years of public complaints by her neighbour Colin Williams, who stoutly objected to the workshop in the neighbourhood, saying it was a breach of the covenant. He also said the fumes, dust and noise were a bother to him.
But Bishop said the action had disabled her small furniture business which was already struggling due to a decline in locally made furniture.
“My customers have been calling me, but we could not do anything because of all of the stress from what was going on. This is not fair to put hard-working people out of work at this time,” she cried.
She pointed out that she did not remove the shed because she had filed a case against the Town & Country Planning Department before the High Court.
“I?thought that they would wait for the outcome of the court case, but they just turned up without warning and take down the shed,” she said. (MB)
