Antigua and Barbuda Embraces Green Initiative for SIDS Conference: No Compulsory Acquisition of Private Land
Works Minister Maria Browne has announced an initiative to transform St. John’s, the capital city of Antigua and Barbuda, ahead of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Conference scheduled for 2024.
A key highlight of the plan is the creation of green spaces throughout the city, a move aimed at beautifying the landscape without resorting to compulsory acquisition of private land.
Minister Browne reassured citizens and property owners that the government has no intention of forcibly acquiring the private parcels earmarked for transformation.
Instead, the focus is on initiating a dialogue with landowners who have left their properties unkempt for extended periods.
“These are parcels that individuals would have left unkempt for decades,” Minister Browne explained. “We’re going to try to get into contact with the owners and have a dialogue with them, allowing us only to maintain them, to clear them, to plant some trees on them, and to put some benches to allow for individuals to recreate there.”
This commitment to avoid compulsory acquisition is central to the government’s strategy, emphasizing a collaborative and consultative approach to enhance the city’s aesthetics.
The announcement underscores the government’s respect for private property rights while simultaneously addressing the need for an improved and welcoming environment for the international events on the horizon.
The green spaces initiative is seen as a proactive step towards restoring civic pride in St. John’s, a city rich in history. Minister Browne emphasized the historical significance of St. John’s, declaring, “St. John’s is our city, and we have history in St. John’s. And as it stands right now, she’s not in the best shape, so to speak. We want to show St. John’s some love to restore our civic pride.”
Anticipation is growing as the nation prepares to host the SIDS Conference and the World Cup Cricket in 2024.
Minister Browne’s assurance of a non-compulsory approach to private land use reinforces the government’s commitment to transparent and collaborative urban development, setting the stage for a more beautiful and welcoming St. John’s on the international stage.
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Hopefully, Maria Browne will hit the ground running, because the SIDS conference in Antigua for 2024 will be a very important one.
As a Antiguan patriot, I hope her refurbishment of St John’s goes ahead as promised.
This eyesore has for too long has been an emotional embarrassment for the island as a whole.
Come on Maria you can accomplish this task…
Let’s just hope that the land owners do not create any acrimony surrounding the offer proposed and will in tandem with the ministry to make this a reality. Many times, we are our own barriers to growth and development.
Hopefully, the land owners will see the bigger picture and co-operate accordingly @ Dave Ray.
The look, the stench, walkways and drains must now be dealt with.
@Dave Ray, Dr. Dave Ray, one and the same I hope. A couple of things which the Gaston Browne Administration is overlooking, and by passing…
A…the problem is not the trees. The problem is poor infrastructure upkeep, redesigned, upgraded and well maintained. Prime example, and someone mentioned, the Botanical Gardens; from, the Botanical Gardens to the Port(East to American Rd, North to Cedar Valley Golf Course then west to the Port to include halcyon to ft James was redesigned decades ago. In particular, #Back Street, now known as #Dick_N_Son Ave, Red Light District, City West-Point Antigua); yes, Dickinson Bay Street from Cemetery Rd, West to Rat Island, would have a Boardwalk, covered in some sections, trees from neem to mahogany to hedges, Lilly’s, daffodils, plus other indigenous plants.
The drainage would have being covered with storage tanks located at Dredge Bay, to collect, recycle and distribute the millions of gallons collected from the runs offs which barrel down this side of the island.
They said, it would cost too much money!
B…The problem in St. John’s is not the trees.
It’s the indescriminate dumping of trash, any which way by filthy HUEmans, who have no respect for their surroundings.
The culture of our Nation has morphed into, the #Fuck_You Mentality! It’s the #Me_First, #Only_Me Movement; yes, there are pockets of togetherness, but for a Nation the size of Antigua, it has taken on a KLANISH MENTALITY, rivalling the Hatfield’s and McCoys!
C…the problem is not the trees. The problem is Piss Poor Long Term Planning, powered by such things as malfeasance, cronyism, poor accountability, bad mindedness.
The ABLP is all to happy, to mention Vere Cornwall Bird, Snr and shower him with praises galore, and rightfully so, in some instances; but, he was none to pleased with folks like the ACLM Movement, a little more tolerant with some of Marcus Garvey’s ideas, but for the most part, Vere C. Bird Snr, led the Nation away from the AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, which if the proper matrices, with long term, fluid planning, there would not be, this MAD RUSH, by Gaston & The Pixie Kru, to UPGEADE THE FLORA of St. John’s. Such would’ve already been in place, managed with personnel, from the RESEARCH FACILITIES to THE EXPORTING DEPARTMENTS…Here’s an example: many of our natural herbs from fevergrass to seaweeds/kelp etc have become the SUPERFOODS of today, for healthy lifestyles to combat such things, as the never ending variants of the manufactured viruses!
Lastly, is the constitutionality of this LAND GRAB. Hopefully, it is the same over the entire Nation, since, vacant lots in Willikie, Pares, Old Road, with trees are no different than those in St. John’s.
Again, and again, yet again! It’s not the trees, they keep the areas cool, they serve other animals purposes, food, home, habitat etc. The problem is the filthy HUEMANS who create, what they can’t control TRASH!
Animals and TREEE are the ones who’re in need of PhD’s, MBa’s, MBs’s and other INDOCTRINATED FORMS of living. CAUSE HUEMANS WITH SUCH LEARNING sure are some fuck_Ups!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De ‘ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat Bastard
Vere Cornwall Edwards
I hope she does it to @ Brixtonian, but did not Pixie and Max do a “walk through ” not too long ago promising to give St. Johns a face-lift? Has that happened?
Too much squandering of state resources. We can only wait.
So let me get this straight, we are cash strapped, but you are going to spend money to create green spaces instead of doing the sensible thing and charge people to clean the unsightly plots or acquire them if they don’t claim them? I guess votes are more important than the well-being of the country.
The government can’t even maintain their botanical garden an the park where king court statue is an yet thinking of such, maintenance is a problem here yet you wanna do such to cause more frustration?
We need sidewalks, and not palm trees, along Friar’s Hill Road. St John’s city also needs to be more pedestrian-friendly.
Own nothing be happy coming to Antigua soon
hmmmmmmm
we don’t even know what happening around the world going to come here
Be careful what you post online or your social credits will be axed, your bank accounts frozen, and your right to travel and buy groceries suspended.
Browne and land don’t mix too well. Be careful those lands don’t “xcape”.
I see a fantastic opportunity for the Browne dynasty to hand out public works contracts to all their faithfully loyal voting constituents thereby ensuring that their strangle hold on the reins of government will be assured for many elections to come.
So people has been complaining that st. John’s is slowly resembling certain parts of west Kingston Jamaica, and suddenly it dawned on her and her husband that SIDS in Antigua is just around the corner.
In order to create an impression for the visitors, a light bulb went off, and she coming up with green space idea. After the visitors have left, if this pie in the sky comes off, the lack of maintenance will have the beaches looking like those on independence Avenue
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