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Court orders halt to demolition of old prison building

THE High Court has ordered a halt to the demolition of the building that housed the Castries prison, granting an injunction in favour of the Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT).

On Sunday, Justice Margaret Price-Findlay ordered that continuing demolition and other works on the property be stopped until further consideration of the application by the SLNT or further order of the High Court.

The ruling came in response to an emergency application for an injunction filed on behalf of the SLNT by Peter I. Foster and Associates.

The application will come up for further consideration on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at 9.00 am at the High Court of Justice at La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street, Castries, Saint Lucia.

The respondents in the case are the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labour, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, the Development Control Authority and Cyril Dornelly.

Failure to comply with the order of the court by continuing the demolition on upper Bridge Street may result in imprisonment for contempt of court.

Last week, the SLNT published an open letter to the Development Control Authority (DCA) calling on it to halt any further works at the site of the prison, including the demolition, until the required applications are submitted, considered and approved.

The letter urged the DCA to take account of the historic significance and structural integrity of the Castries Prison when considering any application to demolish the structure and “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.”

1 Comment

  1. According to my Haitian friend – dis is jus a lot of booooolsheeeet.
    The opposition is at it again; they timed it just as work had begun
    and contracts awarded. It’s just a game and they wont stop. see who
    they have as the applicant to the injunction, an old Speaker, re: Labour.
    I would disobey this Court Order and Challenge them in any Court, whatever.

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