M&CC cannot heed Lamaha Gardens residents’ plea – Mayor

For the longest while, residents in Lamaha Gardens have been petitioning the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown to uphold the residential status of their community and bring into effect the various restrictions, inclusive of removing all existing businesses and restricting minibuses from traversing these roadways.
Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has, however, said that City Hall is in no position to

heed the request of these residents, and that they should be adapting to the “changing world.”
Residents are complaining that disregard of the zoning laws by both private citizens and those in authority is have a negative impact on their model community. They say the influx of businesses and roaming cattle from the neighbouring community of Sophia are among the issues plaguing their community.
The Lamaha Gardens Community Cooperative Society Inc has for months been petitioning the M&CC to erect a sign welcoming persons to the area and detailing rules and restrictions, such as no littering, no cattle and no businesses.
However, Chase-Green has said that although the Council has no issues with granting permission for the erection of the sign, the M&CC is in no position to enforce the restrictions although it is the policy of the council to mandate that all signs have an environmental statement. She has urged the Councillors responsible for various areas to explain this to their constituents.
“Read the laws to them, so they will know that if I have to move any permanent business (from) there, I would have to compensate (the business), and I do not have the compensation available presently. I cannot afford to pay salaries… So I hope the constituency reps would the laws to these people and let them know that while we have no objection to signs being put up, I cannot determine if a minibus could drive through the street or not,” the mayor has said.
“While I feel their pain, there is a developing community behind there in Sophia, and there are human beings living there too; and should we segregate who passes through a particular community? I cannot do that.
“So I don’t know how often the constituency reps meet with these people, but I think they need to meet with them for them to understand that they are all human beings, and that regardless of how rich we are, we are all one in the sight of God,” Chase-Green added.
The mayor said that she hopes the community members can come together and work out a plan to better approach the issues affecting their community, since the M&CC does not exist to segregate communities.
Town Clerk Royston King reiterated that the Council is in no position to compensate the businesses in the area, being financially strapped.
However, he noted that the City have the authority to declare the area a residential settlement with the various restrictions, but added that the M&CC is in no position to so do.
According to the residents, for the past 15 years, they have been trying to get the attention of the Council and Central Government to uphold the zoning laws.
They explained that the community was developed after the Civil Service Housing Association acquired the land from GuySuCo and developed it into a residential area.
They said their transports prohibit the rearing of cattle, and business and trade from taking place in the community.