By Melanius Alphonse
Caribbean News Now associate editor
melanius@caribbeannewsnow.com
CASTRIES, St Lucia — National security minister, Hermangild Francis, has blamed the injunction granted to the Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT) preventing the demolition of the historic Castries Prison building, which was intended to house a brand new high court and police headquarters, for putting the redevelopment plans “on hold”.
“The new plans are expected to take another two years to complete. Until then, the court remains at Nyerah Court,” Francis said.
However, the Nyerah Court Building, the current home of the criminal division of the Saint Lucia High Court, has been closed since April 2018, with no projected date for the recommencement.
There are security concerns and modifications recommended by the Saint Lucia Bar Association that have not materialized to coincide with the opening of the new session of the High Court on September 18.
According to Francis, “For the last law year, only about 300 cases were resolved compared to 700 the previous two years and while the government is trying to make improvements, some people keep putting impediments in the way of progress.
“We had EC$400,000 to deal with renovations but, when we spoke to the owner of the building, the required figure has come close to a million dollars. Now, we’re trying to come to an agreement with the owner to get the work done. We got the court as is and nobody complained for years. It only came to our attention after one incident.”
The SLNT obtained an injunction last month from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, stopping the demolition of the historic Royal Gaol in Castries through yet another ‘no bid’ contract by the government of Saint Lucia.
According to a source familiar with the matter, “The hearing, which was scheduled to be held on October 8, 2018, has been pushed back to October 18; meanwhile, the parties are to meet out of court this week to see what can be resolved.”
The SLNT said previously: “We welcome the public debate on this important matter and look forward to engaging in further dialogue aimed at consensus on the way forward.
“The Trust has traditionally been called upon to provide referral services to the Development Control Authority (DCA), and finds it highly unusual that the DCA would approve the demolition of an historic building without the matter being referred to us, or indeed to other preservation organisations such as the Archaeological and Historical Society for our views on the matter.”
The SLNT called on the DCA to:
• Require the applicant to produce indicative plans for the redevelopment of the site to enable meaningful consideration to integrating the prison building and adjacent prisoner burial grounds into the planned project. The building served an important function in the national justice system and opportunities to link this history with the future of the justice system should factor into the DCA’s decision on this matter; and
• Engage heritage conservation organisations in discussions prior to making a decision on any application it may receive to demolish and redevelop the Castries Prison.
In the meantime, while the government struggles with its finances, the judiciary remains in abeyance, and the administration of justice is delayed, continuing to damage the reputation of Saint Lucia.
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