Antigua Government Plans National Beautification and Urban Renewal
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced initiatives to enhance Antigua and Barbuda’s public spaces by addressing littering, unauthorized vending, and neglected properties.
Speaking on Pointe FM, Browne outlined steps to preserve the islands’ natural beauty while instilling a sense of pride in the local landscape.
A key focus of the plan includes tackling unauthorized vending in pristine public spaces, an issue Browne described as “a form of lawlessness.”
He referenced a recent instance where vehicles were displayed for sale on the public sidewalk along Old Palm Road, obstructing pedestrian access and detracting from the area’s appearance. Businesses, Browne argued, should operate from designated premises rather than appropriating public spaces.
To foster a more visually appealing environment, the government will introduce a tree-planting program featuring palms, flowering plants, and fruit trees along major roads, building on recent landscaping efforts on Friars Hill Road.
“Our islands are naturally beautiful, yet we need to treat them with more respect,” Browne said, adding that responsible waste management and care for public spaces are essential.
Browne also addressed the widespread issue of derelict properties owned by individuals abroad, which create health and security risks and contribute to urban decay.
Plans to resolve this issue include assigning liens to neglected properties for the cost of cleaning or demolishing them, with these liens potentially sold to investors interested in urban renewal.
To further incentivize maintenance, properties with overdue taxes may be auctioned, with excess sale proceeds held in an interest-bearing escrow account for the original owners.
Browne noted that these actions will benefit urban areas, especially in St. John’s, by freeing up space for housing and business development while maintaining respect for property rights.
“Antigua and Barbuda deserves a landscape we can all take pride in,” he concluded, encouraging all residents to support the nation’s beautification and renewal efforts.
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Would also be amazing if the PM can initialize a sterilisation programme rule for cats and dogs.It’s distressing to see such animal neglect. Them running in the streets, hungry, and in some instances abused. I picked up one that someone had thrown over boiling water. Tourists from most part of the world are very sensitive when seeing this.
Perhaps we can do like some countries and leave food and water out for strays in some designated areas.
Eat the dogs
Remove the rat condos
Dig up the pebbles ( streets of gold )
Fix all the cracked pavements
Remedy the covered drains
Fix allsaints rd
The roads and sidewalks are the government responsibility but other cleaning and beautification should be the peoples responsibilities. People are too nasty throwing their rubbish all over including in front my yard, on the sidewalks, on empty land especially on the main roads. Come on People get real and and start to have some pride in yourself ans country
There is no civic pride. There is no love of country. Antiguans and Barbudans just like to say they lub dis country but their actions demonstrate the opposite. The country is polarized politically and the people are incapable of understanding the difference between perceived political loyalty and patriotism. So very sad. Even more sad is that all the red,blue and yellow politicians are all good friends while their supporters hate each other. Maybe loving a filthy country mirrors their homes.