A GUY'S VIEW - Development of town centres

There seems to be a renewed commercial interest in Speightstown. Recent press reports indicate that a number of commercial enterprises are due to be established there.

There is no good reason why Speightstown should not be a thriving city. It has everything to make it so. It even has a history that should make it a drawing card for business and visitors.

There was a time when it may have been thought that only people from the north of the island would do business there, but that phobia may be easily overcome. That northern city has its own character which, once properly packaged, would draw shoppers and other persons conducting business from all over Barbados.

The character of Speightstown is a positive one. That part of the island has always been known for its pristine values and the entire feel of the area is different from Bridgetown. In fact, doing business there can sometimes feel like an excursion, not because of the distance, but owing to the relaxed atmosphere.

Barbados is too small for any part of the island to be considered as too far to travel to. If there is sufficient reason, persons will be quite willing to travel to Speightstown for business.

It is also likely that the cost of doing business might be lower there, hence this should translate into better prices for shoppers.

It is also an ideal location for vacationers, both local and from overseas. The peaceful environment lends itself to recharging of the proverbial batteries. One only needs to insure that our famous service in the tourism industry is added to that environment.

Upscale properties there would mix well with Fisherman Pub and the other traditional businesses in the area. Choice could be a big factor in the attractiveness of the area.

Consideration may also be given to offering incentives to other small businesses in that town to up their quality.

Speightstown is the occasion, but the renewed interest in that city presents the opportunity for a closer look at how we have been developing Barbados and some of the opportunities that we may have missed.

In addition to Speightstown, we have by-passed Oistins and Holetown and have developed Warrens into what Holetown, Oistins and Speightstown could have been. Had the level of investment that was put into Warrens invested in Speightstown, that town would have been transformed into a vibrant space. But it is not too late.

Oistins has remained underdeveloped as a city, as has Holetown and certainly Speightstown. In each case, they continue to hold great potential and only need the appropriate vision in order to take off.

Sometimes one is tempted to replicate what has worked previously, but it would be great if the temptation could be resisted to reproduce in Speightstown what has been implemented elsewhere. While there is great need for investment in the area, every effort should be made to retain that town’s unique qualities.

It would be fantastic for diversity if each of our business centres were equally efficient, but with their own unique character.

In the case of Speightstown, any new construction should be in keeping with the existing style of the buildings there. By consistency of style, it is not being suggested that the backward mentality of refusing to build high-rise buildings be maintained and therefore stifle the business potential of the area. It is absolutely misguided and bordering on crazy not to build as high as possible on a land mass as small as Barbados. One could agree with any investor who decides to keep his money in his pocket if he is not allowed to put up a multi-storey building.

Yes, we live on a small island and there is a popular view that small island people have small minds. I do not know whether there is any truth to this. What I do know is that small minds can be expanded. I also know that we should not handcuff potential investors with our limited world view. We should think positively and build big.

The accommodation sector could do well in Speightstown. A decent hotel in the heart of the town would be an excellent idea. But it may be just as good if it were slightly removed from the main street. If such development were to take place, arrangements could be made to give special town status to an extended boundary.

The physical development of Speightstown, Holetown and Oistins cannot be driven by the Government. What they need is commercial interest and foresight. Government neither has the money nor the potential return on investment to plough limited resources into this kind of development.

There is, however, a big difference between putting in money and facilitating development. Some facilitation efforts may have been made in the past and missed by targeted investors. But the world is changing. Our timid commercial class no longer exists. Trinidadians and others from further afield now control our economy and they have a different investment mentality. If the opportunities are attractive enough, they are likely to take them up.

The development of dispersed town centres will bring spin-off benefits to wider areas of the country. In addition to the central investment, this would spur down-the-line development in surrounding areas. It could also produce other services, like restaurants, car rentals, accounting businesses and the establishment of law offices. These would all produce ancillary employment for support staff.

It could also have a major impact on the public transportation system. Such development could reduce the need for persons to travel to Bridgetown to conduct business to just to shop. The need to invest in more buses would be reduced, especially since many routes would now be shorter and this service could be provided by private operators.

There may be many other benefits, but this development should be carefully planned and properly executed.