Prime Minister Mia Mottley has set aside Monday to Thursday next week to meet with the island’s major developers including those behind the controversial Hyatt Hotel.
She made this revelation during a ground breaking and tree planting ceremony at the new Harmony Hall Green site, St Lawrence Main Road, Christ Church tonight.
“We need to begin to understand where their developments are, what the obstacles are that are currently blocking them if any, and what are the things that need to be addressed to facilitate it. It is within the best interest of the country to be able to fuel the development such that we can see the kind of growth that we need to see in Barbados,” she stressed.
While acknowledging that some conversations would not be so easy, Mottley said she would not be excluding anyone, including developers of the controversial Hyatt Hotel.
“We are going to address all of the issues because Barbados must be a place where development takes place, but at the same time the rules of fairness and transparency will be respected with respect to everything we do,” the Prime Minister said, adding that people were interested in investing and moving their businesses to Barbados.
Government is also set to start the process of reviewing the present Town and Country Planning legislation.
“That legislation that was passed in the year I was born, can no longer inform development as we move into the third decade of the 21st century. We have to make some decisions given that land is scarce and people still want to be able to invest, and want to be able to develop in this country,” the Prime Minister noted.
Similarly she said a determination would have to be made as to whether the same rules that apply to large investments as Harmony Hall Green should be in place for single dwelling houses.
“We have to have discussions as to whether we can continue to build flat roof houses, knowing that they are going to be the most vulnerable in a hurricane, or whether we must not return to what our grandparents were doing with the development of gabble roofs and hip roofs to be able to withstand hurricanes and high gale force winds as has happened in the past,” she said.
All Barbadians are to be included in the consultation discussions which would be streamed.
“We feel that Barbadians have a right to hear those discussions that would be taking place between the public planners, the private planners, the allied stakeholders in the construction industry, and ordinary Barbadians who have to use the system of Town and Country planning,” Mottley said. (RA)
