Work needed

AN Opposition Member of Parliament says that some housing complexes owned by the State are in need of a facelift.

Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, made the comments while contributing to the debate in the House of Assembly yesterday morning, concerning a resolution to vest London Bourne Towers in the National Housing Corporation, as he noted the importance of ongoing maintenance of such State-owned properties. He told the Lower House that properties like the Towers and the units at Pond Side were among those built some years back and need to be spruced up. Such work, he said, would go a long way in helping to enhance the area.

Lt. Col. Bostic also raised questions about the status of a proposed laundromat in London Bourne Towers, noting that the designated area remains vacant. With that in mind, he said Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development, Denis Kellman, missed the mark in his introduction of the resolution, by not speaking to any plans for “collateral development” in the Nelson Street area. He said that economic activity does take place in that area, and it too was in dire need of a facelift to enhance business.

“I believe Mr. Speaker that yes we all want development – that is good for the country, it is good for the respective areas, but there is also an aspect of this that I would like to speak to… I would like the honourable minister to say if there are going to be any developments in terms of the road networks surrounding the London Bourne Towers and the Bay Street area,” he said.

Bostic added that in coming up with development projects for the area, he believes that consideration should also be given to the construction of a resource centre for the community that could cater to the “urgent needs” of the young people residing there. (JRT)