Commercial hub blossoms out of swampland

Massive roadworks undertaken by the ministry of works over the past seven years have made it more accessible.

Charran, who has acquaintances who have invested in the area, said this is one of the primary attractors for businesses to the area.

“Aft er Port-of-Spain, San Juan is the first commercial centre,” he explained. “When you look at the development of Port-of-Spain, it is difficult to develop Port-of-Spain further east. Barataria, El Socorro extension, fi rst of all, give easy access off the highway. When you are coming from the docks in Port-of- Spain in the morning, you are driving against the traffic. If you are coming from Point Lisas, it is also easy to get access to that area from the highway.” This is why several large warehouses have called El Socorro home for the past several years, but it is not only larger concerns that thrive there.

“If you take a drive there now, you’ll see that there are restaurants, bars and smaller shops. For the entrepreneurial minded, if you wanted to open a roti shop or a breakfast shed in the morning, if you wanted to sell doubles, the hustle and bustle in the morning and the evening, could help you become an entrepreneur,” said Charran, who credited the development with bringing greater employment to the community.

But development has not come without its drawbacks.

Referring to a historic pattern of growth of several town centres on the East West Corridor, where a central business district has expanded radially into the surrounding communiti es, Charran said a similar pattern in the Croisee has increased traffic to the area to the point where it affects mobility and the ability to obtain parking.

“The San Juan Business Associati on has been calling for certain changes to be made and we have presented a plan to the Ministry of Works,” said Charran.

“These call for a few subtle changes with regard to traffic management. We think there are some minor fixes that could assist the area greatly.” Business in the El Socorro community is oft en hampered by a lack of water too, he said. This, despite repeated entreaties to the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). Charran said businesses have been relying on the truck borne water supply for an extended period of ti me and this has created hardships, particularly for companies with many workers.

Meanwhile, other water issues, this ti me in the form of flooding plague El Socorro.

Charran appealed to the regional corporation and the Works Ministry to complete the necessary drainage and engineering works A drain filled with water and garbage off Chotoo Road, El Socorro Extension. The area is plagued with flooding and drains need to be cleaned.

that would solve this issue.

The business association president additionally observed that the contracting economy was leading to a loss of sales for some members, while the unavailability of forex and increasing taxation posed challenges for others.

Charran was also dissatisfied with the current state of labour/employee relations in the country and said his members were affected by what they see as a trend of anti -employer judgements in the court.

“Getting people to work in a productive manner continues to be a problem,” he said. “Several of the judgements coming out of the industrial court reflect a bias toward the employee.” He expressed hopes that this government would re-visit the triparti te process, as well as to look into reform of labour laws and consult more widely with business chambers across the country for their views.

Residents in areas such as Woodbrook and St James have been dealing with encroachment by business for several decades now, with clashes between home and business owners garnering media attention. However, Charran said El Socorro residents have not expressed any complaints to him about the development of the area.

He said so far, the presence of business has been largely positive, including an appreciation of land value, although he speculated that this might become an issue with the re-institution of property tax.

“I think the only thing that is stopping further development is the price of the real estate, because the value of the land has appreciated over the last few years and this is acting as a barrier to entry,” said Charran.

He also said those who invested in property in the area are also unlikely to sell at this point because of the potential the area holds.