A recent High Court ruling by Justice Gino Persaud has blocked the Mayor& Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) and the Town Clerk from leasing or selling the Bel Air Park playground to a private land developer, but the M&CC has moved to have the judge overturn his January 8 decision.
City Hall has stated its intention to have the playground converted into a cluster of town houses for top City officials, including Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, Town
Mayor Patricia Chase Green
Clerk Royston King, the City Engineer and the Medical Health Officer; but Bel Air Park resident attorney-at-law Devindra Kissoon, through his attorneys Kamal Ramkarran and Nicholas Carryl, has won his bid to prevent the City from effecting its land conversion proposal.
In court documents seen by this publication, Roger Yearwood, attorney for the M&CC and its Town Clerk, the second respondent, gave notice that the City would make an application on February 12 for a motion to be heard by Justice Gino Persaud to “set aside” his January 8 decision due to “default of appearance” by the respondents.
According to Yearwood, the legal adviser to the council, he was on the corridors of the Supreme Court on January 8 when he was caught “unaware” after a Marshall called the matter “in a loud cry,” asking if anyone was present on behalf of the M&CC and the Town Clerk.
Yearwood claimed that after he was called in to the judge’s chambers, he was informed that the Town Clerk was served twice with the notice of the case. As such, he sought an extension of time but was denied, and the court proceeded
Town Clerk Royston King
with the order to block the land from being sold or leased.
Based on the attorney’s explanation, it appears that the document suddenly appeared upon his enquiry at City Hall.
“After this, Mr. Yearwood contacted the Council in relation to the matter, and a copy of the proceedings was unearthed, from where it had mistakenly and inadvertently been placed and given to Mr. Yearwood,” an excerpt from the court documents highlighted.
In recent days, the Mayor has come out defending the move to convert the prime piece of property, saying that nothing was done in secrecy, as the matter was discussed at the level of Council after being raised by the Investment and Development Committee.
Last week the State media reported that all of the 30 City Councillors where issued
Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan
with cease and desist orders reportedly threatening them with fines or imprisonment if the Bel Air Park land was used for purposes other than for “community purposes”.
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, has recently criticized the takeover of the Bel Air Park land, expressing his conviction that local democratic organs should follow the rule of law, which was in reference to Justice Persaud’s order. However, the Mayor retorted and pointed out that “the Minister was interfering with the business of council,” as the Mayor was quoted as saying.
The Park has reportedly been used as a playground since the 1990s, after serving a host of other purposes over the decades, including as a race horse course and airfield. It has reportedly been managed by the City from around the 1960s.
