Sint Maarten. Minister Lake has follow-up meeting with Cape Bay residents

Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake last week had a follow-up meeting with the residents of Cape Bay.

More than 75 persons turned out at Seaside Nature Park to voice their concerns with respect to the proposed zoning and development plans for Cape Bay.

Residents at the second follow-up Cape Bay meeting. DCOMM Photo

Ministry of VROMI officials Henry Ellis, Inspection Department, Hans Sellink, Head of the VROM Department, and Thijs Sommers, policy worker at the Ministry were present to answer questions and provide further explanation and clarification to the residents.

The residents were very adamant about the current draft zoning plans pointing out that they are totally against any further industrial development of Cape Bay, and wanted to see more residential development in the district.

Residents voiced their concerns about GEBE with respect to noise and alleged pollution coming from the old generator rooms. 

Another topic of discussion is structures that have been constructed not according to the building codes of the country on property that belong to local people who in turn rent the structures to individuals.

Residents would like to see better infrastructure put in place to deal with raw sewage running along streets etc.

“As a Minister I am here to listen to the people and work along side by side with them.  If the people don’t want something, we have to listen to them.  I am not going to propose something in the zoning plan to Parliament that the people don’t want in their district.

“Two public meetings were held with respect to draft zoning plans, but being a community-minded person, I invited my key staff from the Ministry to further elucidate to the residents which they did.

“In my basic plan of approach, speaking with the grassroots and other stakeholders is part of the process of transparency.  Hearing all views is necessary,” Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Tuesday.

The Minister commended the Cape Bay Community Council for taking pride in their community and to continue to be vigilant in their community.

Minister Lake informed the residents that he will be doing a walk-though within the next two weeks in an area that has been described as a shanty town in Cape Bay.  Lake also stated that the Government is in the process of forming a Task Force to deal with the so-called shanty town areas in different parts of the country.