City Mayor reassures vendors of temporary relocation as La Penitence Market sets to undergo $1.1B overhaul

As the La Penitence Market prepares to undergo major rehabilitation and expansion, Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore has reassured vendors that temporary relocation arrangements will be in place for those who could be affected by the construction works.
While a commencement date for the project has not yet been announced, the market has already been earmarked for a major upgrade, with the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry moving ahead with plans to construct new market facilities at the site.

The Ministry is now seeking contractors to execute the projects, and as such, invitations for bids have recently been opened with tenders slated to commence on August 18, 2026, through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
The upcoming construction follows a series of site visits by Minister Priya Manickchand since her appointment last year, during which she and her team assessed conditions at markets nationwide and engaged directly with vendors about the challenges they face.
On Thursday, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, convened a joint stakeholder meeting which brought together stakeholders to discuss key issues affecting the market, hear their concerns, and explore practical solutions to improve the overall operations, environment and development of the facility.
The engagement formed part of the continued efforts by the Council and the Ministry to work collaboratively with market stakeholders towards a cleaner, safer and more efficiently managed marketplace.
Mentoresaid that the Government intends to commence the market reconstruction soon, but stressed the need for clarity on the proposed start date and the different phases of the project.
He added that arrangements must also be made to accommodate those vendors so they can continue to sell, trade and conduct their businesses while the reconstruction is underway.

His views were anchored in the reality that many vendors use the market as a main source of income to support their families.
“Because at the end of the day, many of these vendors that happen to be here in these markets depend on these sources of income to provide for their families, to provide for their kids and to send them to school and pay their mortgage and all that. So, we want to have those things ticked and for us to be able to establish, and I believe the engineer will speak to that. He will speak to us about the scope of work and how that will happen. We commence by date, what temporary arrangement is put in place to allow for them to transition to that point and how they will re-transition back. So, we need to have timelines. We don’t want to go into a situation where the whole thing starts happening and then everybody gets displaced and then we have a tremendous challenge.”
Mentore nevertheless stated that the number of vendors expected to be affected is not yet known, but a team was established to address this issue, topped with making arrangements for them to continue operating.
He said clarification is needed from the engineers and the Ministry of Local Government on the new accommodation arrangements for vendors.
Mentore added that consideration must also be given to sanitation, electricity and security at the temporary locations, as well as measures to protect vendors and their operations from rain and other elements while the reconstruction is ongoing.
“We want to understand in and around that what accommodation and what arrangements are going to be put in place for those vendors so that they can continue to function. And that the displacement of these vendors in phase one, phase two or whatever phase we end up in, it must be something like clockwork, with all this happening and so on and so forth. And I would also, like I said, I will write to the ministry and I will also send a letter to the PS and to some extent the engineer so that he could provide us with a scope of work so we understand when the commencement happens.”
The La Penitence Market redevelopment has been divided into five blocks, with five separate contractors assigned to execute the works. According to the representative, having contractors working on separate sections simultaneously is intended to accelerate the completion of the project.
However, construction will not begin on all sections at the same time, as measures must first be put in place to avoid displacing vendors.
The initial phase will focus on two buildings that will first have to be vacated. Once those buildings are completed, vendors will be moved back into them, allowing construction to proceed on the next section.
The project will also include a completely new building at the front of the market. Once completed, vendors will have the opportunity to apply for spaces within the new facility.
In addition to the construction of the market buildings, a separate external works contract will address infrastructure, including drainage, fencing and lighting, as well as other site improvements, including a garbage compactor.