The area that housed ‘Block X’ will be used as a carpark in the future though temporarily, Housing Minister Richard Frederick revealed Monday.
Said to be ‘structurally unsound’, the apartment building was demolished over the weekend.
According to Frederick, “we believe that we can create a carpark temporarily until we are prepared for further development. We will not do anything permanent now… but we will keep the hoardings. We will do some nice fencing (and) we’ll fix the ground properly.”
Noting that “we are not those people who do things without a DCA’s approval”, Frederick said “we are applying for approval to do the fencing.”
Garbage disposal in that area is strictly prohibited, he added, and the area will be controlled to ensure there is no difficulty “when we are ready for the slot.”
Ever since it was demolished, individuals have been making suggestions on a fitting replacement for the old Block X structure. It’s important to note that small structures will not be erected in that location, however. That’s according to the minister.
In the meantime, “when we remove the hoardings, what you are going to see is some nice green fencing all around. We have a car park here for about 60-70 vehicles…”
Highlighting the importance of transparency in government, Frederick said that he is “just keeping folks informed of what’s going on… We do things with complete transparency and of course accountability.”
“We continue to do what we have to do in true representation of the people of Castries Central and by extension Saint Lucia,” he added.
At a press briefing last week the minister said the land is prime property and is valued at almost $1000 per sq. ft.
“It is top dollar land and therefore we need top dollar investment to go on that land,” he said.