Emilio Wilson group queries why
permit not yet denied ~ Says it
hopes Govt not attempting “fast ball move” ~
PHILIPSBURG--The Foundation for the Management and Conservation of the Emilio Wilson Estate (EWEF) says it is “curious” about why government has not yet “outright denied” the planning permit request by Emilio Wilson Estate B.V. to build houses on the estate.
In a statement to The Daily Herald, foundation representatives Jadira Veen and Rueben Thompson queried why the permit hadn’t simply been denied after the Island Council motion of September 20, 2005, called on the Executive Council to explore the possibilities of buying the land, which is part of the Industry/Golden Rock Plantation in Cul de Sac.
However, according to Environmental Affairs Commissioner Roy Marlin, Government is waiting on the archaeological survey report of the estate before making a decision regarding the issuance of the planning permit.
The group said it had taken note of the recent administrative appeal filed by Emilio Wilson Estate B.V. against government’s non-response to the planning permit request and contended that by not responding, government had deliberately ran the risk of having an administrative appeal filed against it.
They said the foundation believed government’s postponing the decision on the planning permit might be, and most likely was, government’s strategy to allow the courts to force government into granting the permit.
“We hope that government is not attempting to pull a fast ball move thinking that the people can be confused with all the bureaucracies of court cases, et al,” they said.
The 60-day deadline by which a three-person committee had to be formed to explore possibilities of acquiring the estate and to report to the Island Council has long passed. Based on this, the group questioned government’s commitment to carrying out the Island Council’s decision of September 20.
The foundation said it had written a letter to Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards on November 1, 2005, requesting a meeting to introduce the board and discuss the various possibilities of purchasing and preserving the estate. To date, however, it has not yet received any response to its letter, according to the foundation.
When asked why no money had been allocated for the purchase of Emilio Wilson Estate from the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities shares buyback (see related story), Marlin said government was pursuing other options to acquire funding for the purchase of the estate.
The funds from the shares buyback have been allocated to areas of concern to the whole of St. Maarten and to projects that have been pending for some time but have never been executed due to limited financing, he told Wednesday’s Executive Council press briefing. “A guilder can only be spent once and no more.”
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