A TWO-STOREY dilapidated building on Chapman Street in Bridgetown is a bother to residents.
The old building, once used as a rental home, has been unoccupied for years but residents say “paros” and vagrants now smoke and cook in the building.
A concerned resident said also that the building building which is a stone’s throw away from the Supreme Court and next door to Charlton House, the law chambers of many prominent attorneys, including Sir Richard Cheltenham QC, was an eyesore.
“It is in a condition that if a strong wind blows or if a fire was to occur it will cause great damage and liability to neighbours and others living, residing or passing in the surrounding area,” he complained.
He added that because wood and material had also been stolen from the building it was now structurally unsafe.
The resident expressed grave concern for a 91-year-old and her two disabled adult children who lives next door to the building, pointing out that if the worst were to happen, neighbours would have a task rescuing the trio from their home since they were all immobile.
“Although this matter has been spoken to visiting health inspectors of the area on many occasions, it seems not to be given the attention,” the resident said. “Will it take a major disaster to occur before some action is taken?”
An examination of the building revealed, however, that a notice had been placed there on January 28 by the Environmental Protection Department giving the owner 28 days to demolish the structure.
The building, which stands on prime property because of its location to the judicial district, is actually owned by former magistrate Theodore Walcott.
When contacted at his Pinfold Street office, Walcott acknowledged that he received the notice from the department two weeks ago but was making arrangements to have the building sold. He indicated that he had written the department asking for three months to have the matter sorted out.
But a source explained that the property had been on the market for some time and that even though some prominent attorneys had expressed an interest in purchasing the building for law offices, their offer had not been accepted.
mariabradshaw@nationnews.com