Land surveyors on island recently met to address issues affecting the sector.
The Institute of Surveyors Saint Lucia Cooperated [ISSL] identified a myriad of challenges faced by its members, with primary focus on obtaining information from the Land Registry for land and valuation surveys.
Lawyer and Licensed Land Surveyor Lester Martyr was among the keynote speakers at a recent ISSL symposium, where he addressed these issues.
President of the Institute St Lucia Surveyors Inc. Tryce Loctar noted that Martyr’s speech dealt with issues at the Land Registry. Martyr has vast experience in that field, and was formerly employed as a Registrar in the Land Registry department as well as a former Chief Surveyor at the Survey & Mapping unit.
He delivered on the issue of Land Registry, which the membership considers as a “crucial problem”, in terms of getting information and relevant data to undertake their land surveys and valuation surveys.
Chartered Valuation Surveyor and Registered Valuer Celsus Baptiste enlightened surveyors on the merits of looking ‘Beyond Market Value’ when investing in property.
“The issue of how the property is designed, (and) can it survive the income constraints of a possible future pandemic is also important,” he noted.
Baptiste added that he also made members aware of the “issue of internal appraisals.”
The symposium also focused on the bothersome issue of land disputes.
Loctar said since the construction industry is faced with so many challenges, there are always disputes arising. Hence, a lawyer was contacted to deal with the Litigation Aspect, while personnel from within the Alternative Dispute Resolution area were on board as mediators.
Mediators included Urban Dolor, registered mediator with the Courts, and Ted Theobalds.
The presentations also focused on Built Environments, Quantity Surveying and Real Estate practices.