House construction on San’do Hill ordered stopped

CONSTRUCTION work on the foundation of a dwelling house at the foot of the protected landmark San Fernando Hills, was stopped on Wednesday, after officials of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Mining Division of the Ministry of Energy were notified of excavation work. Yesterday, an official of the EMA visited the construction site located on the Lower Hillside, Romain Street side of the hill, to carry out further investigations. San Fernando Mayor Gerard Ferreira told Newsday yesterday that on Wednesday a notice  was placed on the site advising the builders to stop construction. The advice to stop the building was sanctioned by both the EMA and Mining Division of the Energy Ministry. Prior to this, there were reports of residents complaining that certain environmental codes and standards were being breached.

Mayor Ferreira pointed out that for such construction to be allowed, “consensus” between different groups was necessary. He added, “you don’t get permission from us to excavate.” The Mayor said that although the owner had sought and got the necesary permission to start construction work, he said, “it appears they have done more than they were supposed to.”  Apart from the EMA and the Energy Ministry’s Mining Division, the Town and Country Planning Division also plays a significant role in sanctioning and monitoring such operations. The Mayor revealed the intended owner was upset at the present situation and was adamant that she had received the proper, necessary approval from the authorities. Corporate Communications Officer at the EMA, Neil Parsanlal, told Newsday yesterday that the assessment conducted by the EMA personnel on the site yesterday was intended to determine two issues — what approval if any at all, was given for conducting the work, and whether any EMA codes were breached. Attempts to reach the owner of the foundation, as well as officials from the Town and Country Plannning Division and Energy Ministry for comment yesterday proved unsuccessful.