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By Deslyn A Joseph
The government has commenced a major nationwide initiative to address the hazards and concerns posed by derelict and abandoned properties across the island. The move, aimed at improving the overall aesthetics and addressing health and safety hazards, began immediately following the announcement with the capital city being the focus of the initial phase.
The Development Control Authority (DCA) began issuing amenity orders which will be sent to owners of properties where derelict and abandoned buildings are located, giving them a strict deadline to rectify the situation.
According to Rawdon Turner, the Minister for Social and Urban Transformation, the message to property owners is clear. “Each owner will be given 28 days according to law to rectify the situation: either demolish or upgrade that property,” he stated.
The Minister stressed that the abundance of these overgrown, abandoned and sometimes dangerous properties has made them eyesores and pose serious health and safety hazards that the government must address seriously.
Turner warned that if no action, attempt, or contact is made by the homeowner after the 28-day period has elapsed, the Government will move in. He is therefore urging property owners to comply and reach out to the DCA.
“If you need assistance, we can offer that assistance but something has to be done. We can’t continue along this path anymore. The message is simple: clean up or the government will do it for you with the cost landing squarely on you.
“The government’s clean-up teams will remove the derelict structures and clean up the vacant lots to improve the nation,” he noted.
The first phase of this operation will begin in the capital city of St John’s and will specifically target properties within the Point and Villa communities.
“The government has noticed we have too many derelict and abandoned properties across the island … and it’s a health and safety hazard which is something that we have to address seriously,” he said. “There are laws on the book and we intend to use those laws to beautify and clean up Antigua and Barbuda,” he added.
While the amenity orders focus on clean-up, the recently passed Tax Administration and Procedure Amendment Bill also set out a separate, last-resort procedure for dealing with non-compliant property owners. This process outlines the procedure for auctioning abandoned lots after non-compliance with Inland Revenue Department notices. This is, however, a last resort and would follow separate procedures.
The government is considering action against property owners, potentially including imposing penalties, to address this urgent issue. The plans include demolishing derelict properties and, for neglected vacant lots, they will perform maintenance and bill the owner. If these accrued charges reach approximately 50 percent of the land’s value, the government reserves the right to sell the property.
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