Forward with the proposals
HOUSING Minister, Mr Shaik Baksh last week reported that a plan for the development of D'Urban Park in Georgetown is complete. Other plans had been advanced before for this huge piece of prime real estate in the capital city but were shelved for one reason or the other. It is a shame that the land has remained waste for so many years largely because of petty controversy. It was once a horse race course that was famous here and in the Caribbean and drew huge crowds at major events. Sadly, it has long been in disuse and of benefit mainly to horses, cattle and other animals in search of grazing grounds and in the rainy season, as play ponds for little boys. Nothing much has been heard of an ambitious plan for a shopping mall on the site and there were once advocates for it to be made a cycle track. Now, according to the plan Minister Baksh has outlined, the 39 acres of land stretching from the 1763 Monument Square to Mandela Avenue will be converted into a multi-purpose recreational zone with facilities for games, exercises and shopping. He told reporters the recreational centre will include jogging and cycling tracks; volleyball, tennis and basketball courts; a gymnasium; football turf; swimming pool; a hall of fame; a library and small-scale commercial enterprises compatible with the development taking place there. There will be parking facilities and horticulture plots, too. It is good that, as Mr Baksh said, the Mayor and City Council had a consultation last year about D'Urban Park and its use. The minister has promised to extend the consultation to include the private sector, non-governmental organisations and the City Council before the plans move forward. According to Mr Baksh, Cabinet has already given the green light for the D'Urban Park Development proposal. This is the kind of advanced development that the city of Georgetown is badly in need of and it will be so sad if petty squabbles result in another ambitious blueprint rotting in a dusty cupboard or on an old shelf. Georgetown has to be lifted out of the mess that has been creeping over it for too long and it is time that the authorities get a firm fix on a project that can fire the hopes of those who still choose to live within its boundaries. Of course it will be costly and will take several years to be completed but a start has to be made and this plan fits the bill perfectly. The time for dilly dallying must be firmly put behind and the plans advanced for the park and the equally ambitious sea wall development scheme for which Mr Baksh said the private sector is expected to play a major role. Broad-based consultations were held on a study for the sea wall from Le Meridien Pegasus hotel in Georgetown to Industry, commissioned by the Central Housing and Planning Authority three years ago and the plan is to convert it into a recreational and leisure zone. There will be an ocean resort and an entertainment zone, Mr Baksh said. Also firmly on the right track is the announced development of an Urban Development Plan. The deterioration of Georgetown must be arrested and it cannot be put off much longer.
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