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Court Rules In Favour Of DCA In Landings Matter

The final court ruling on the legal dispute between The Landings and the Development Control Authority (DCA) was concluded yesterday July 4th. The court ruled in the favour of DCA. The dispute began in the middle of 2018 when the DCA granted permission to Two Seas Holdings Limited for the development of the forth Sandals Resort, Sandals La Source, on a plot of land which is adjacent to The Landings on Pigeon Island.

Image of Sandals St Lucia Managing Director Winston Anderson – A ruling in the favour of the DCA in the Landings matter could mean that Sandals is one step closer to getting plans back in motion for their fourth Saint Lucian resort. [PHOTO: Allen Alexander]
Sandals St Lucia Managing Director Winston Anderson – A ruling in the favour of the DCA in the Landings matter could mean that Sandals is one step closer to getting plans back in motion for their fourth Saint Lucian resort. [PHOTO: Allen Alexander]
The Landings claimed that they were not consulted in the decision making process of the DCA to grant such permission to Sandals. Landings argued that the development of Sandals La Source would hamper the use and enjoyment of the Landings facilities. For this reason, Landings filed an application for judicial review against DCA. The High Court Judge, Kimberly Cenac-Phulgence, ruled that, “In the circumstances, this is not an appropriate case for the court to interfere with the exercise of the DCA’s authority and therefore the relief claimed by The Landings is denied.”

For the purposes of this article, The Voice reached out to The Landings for comment, but was redirected to their legal representative Peter Foster, who could not be reached for comment at press time.

In a statement by Winston Anderson on the judgement, the Managing Director of Sandals Saint Lucia noted, “The fact that the High Court has ruled that the Development Control Authority did adhere to all the required steps and procedures as relates to the approvals for the project sends a very powerful message. At Sandals, we take such matters very seriously, and we always make sure that we do the right thing before we embark on any development anywhere in the region. I believe that the ruling has confirmed what we have always said, and I think people can now feel confident in the fact that the new hotel that was earmarked for Pigeon Island had all the necessary approvals, as we have maintained from the very beginning. Sandals has always strived to be an outstanding investment partner to Saint Lucia, and it is indeed unfortunate that the project, which would have been set to open in three months, had to be brought to a halt because of this action. Hopefully we can now look ahead to the future.”

When the DCA was contacted for interview in regards to the court ruling, they responded by saying, “It is not our policy to comment on matters relating to the courts.”

Allen is a reporter employed at The Voice Publishing Company. He has had a passion for reading, writing, story telling and theater for as long as he can remember. His interest in history, philosophy and the human condition, have inspired him to think deeply about life which has in turn given him many things to write about. He enjoys writing articles which educate, inspire, and enlighten the reader; and articles which provoke the reader to look at things from a fresh and different perspective.Read full bio...

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