Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss (third from right) and Christopher Sambrano, Regional Leader, Transaction Advisory Services of EY, cut the ribbon at the official opening of One Welches, while Maria Robinson (left), Country Managing Partner of EY, Barbados; Mark Linehan (second from left), Managing Director of Regus; Connie Smith (second from right), Managing Director of Tricor Group’s Operations in Barbados; and Elizabeth Morgan (right), Country Manager at First Citizens Investment Services (Barbados) Limited, look on.
‘FIND RIGHT BALANCE’
Sat, 09/24/2016 - 12:00am
Strategic development important to Barbados
One Welches in St. Thomas officially opened on Thursday night, and Minister of Industry, Interna-tional Business, and Commerce and Small Business Develop-ment, Donville Inniss, has tackled any opposition to this investment.
He argued, “As we reflect from whence this area has developed, be ever mindful that there would have been detractors who would have argued that in 2016 no commercial building should be more than two storeys tall and at least a mile away from residences.
“Some may even argue that your development may hinder a UNESCO inscription some 100 years from now. We have to find the right balance that captures our history, acknowledges our present and projects our future. Sticking to one era will ensure that this island remains recognisable to the British who landed in 1625 upon their return, and will never reflect our modern times.
“On behalf of the architects, the builders, big and small contractors, the electrical team, the plumbers, the painters, window manufacturers, tilers, landscape designers, the truckers who delivered the building materials, the ladies who sold food from their vans to energise the workers and all who laboured here, I say thank you to the developers. I am not ungrateful, I fully appreciate that many families had their lives enhanced due to the opportunities presented to them from this project.”
The Minister added, “That is why I get a bit annoyed when I see the obstructionists in our midst whose public and private utterances cause unnecessary delays in the provision of major physical development projects. I am not stating that we must allow developers to do as they please, but we certainly must not go to the other extreme in making their investments feel most unwelcome. I note that most of the recent critics of significant real estate development projects have themselves never even created a job for one person in this island.
As long as the laws of the land are followed, I will stand up anywhere in this island and publicly defend private sector investors, even in the face of condemnation by political friends and foes. This island has always and will always need investors – big or small, local or foreign, black or white – and I welcome them all…” (NB)