{"id":18426,"date":"2018-08-02T06:10:16","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T10:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=18426"},"modified":"2018-08-02T06:45:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T10:45:19","slug":"case-to-stop-construction-of-barbuda-international-airport-is-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/case-to-stop-construction-of-barbuda-international-airport-is-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Case to stop construction of Barbuda International Airport is today"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A group of Barbudans are seeking judicial review of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s decision to construct an international airport on the island. The case to be heard at\u00a010am AST<\/span>\u00a0on\u00a02 August 2018<\/span>\u00a0at the High Court of Justice of Antigua and Barbuda, moves for the immediate shut down of the development of the airport on Barbuda.<\/p>

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The Barbudans seek to address failures by their central government to meet critical requirements under the Physical Planning Act 2003 in the development of the airport and failure to follow proper planning procedures where the government has started or permitted construction.<\/p>\n

To date, at least 7100 ft spanning west to east of once virgin forest lands in Barbuda have been cleared for the construction of the airport. These lands were traditionally used by Barbudans for grazing, farming and hunting and were the habitat of the rare red footed tortoise and the feeding grounds for the Barbudan Fallow Deer. Rare ancient forest trees, including the white sap tree, have also been cleared.<\/p>

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\u201cAs the environmental stewards of their island, Barbudans are meticulous in their protection of their ecologically, historically and archaeologically significant lands. As a result of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s complete failure to meet its legal and regulatory obligations, significant damage has already been done to Barbuda this year,\u201d said Leslie Thomas QC, international human rights barrister at Garden Court Chambers in the UK and lead attorney at Justice Chambers in Antigua, who is representing the Barbudans.<\/p>

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The legal action reveals multi-department failure to comply with regulations including failure to complete required environmental impact assessments, incomplete submission of proposed plans, failure to receive Barbuda Council approval of proposed plans, and instances where the government ignored its own reports of risk to the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, development of the airport must stop immediately until proper assessments can be made and procedures followed,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cAlongside this we must ask: What are the standards by which we hold ourselves and our governments to account? How does a government get to the point of complete disregard for the laws and processes of good governance for the country? The government must be held to account.\u201d<\/p>

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The applicants are seeking from the Court:<\/p>\n