Marlin: No permit for altering
Guavaberry emporium building
PHILIPSBURG--The Island Government will not allow any changes to the Guavaberry Emporium (former West Indian Tavern) building on Front Street, which is up for sale, Environmental Development and Property Management Commissioner Roy Marlin warned potential buyers during the Executive Council Press Briefing on Wednesday. The building is also on the island’s monument list.
Marlin said, “I know people are negotiating and there are people lobbying and I wanted to state this publicly so no one will go and invest their money hoping that they will get a permit for demolishing or changes.”
According to the Development Vision for Philipsburg created by the Almere Group and adopted by the Island Council, the upper part of Front Street, where this building is located, has a particular style and setting, he added. “We will not allow any changes to any setting. This is for those businessmen out there who are entertaining the idea (of buying the building to demolish it for a new building).
Asked about the Monument Register, which includes the Guavaberry Emporium building, Marlin said it had not yet been finalised. The register will contain the list of some 80 buildings, objects and sites on the island that have been identified as monuments.
Before the register can be put in place, the monuments identified have to be put on public review for queries and objections from the general public, if any.
The hold-up with the establishment of the register, which is outlined in the island’s Monument Ordinance, is due to one of the persons working on compiling the register taking a leave of absence from government service, creating a vacuum and backlog of work.
“I am trying to get the young lady from Curaçao who helped us to put the structure together for a few weeks, to be able to finalise the monument registration,” the commissioner stated.
