The unfinished mult-million dollar Chancery Lane complex in San Fernando, which was supposed to house Government offices, has now become a refuge for vagrants. The building, a project of the Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott), on which construction was ceased in April 2010, has also become a haven for thieves. Security guards who patrol the compound confirmed, yesterday, that thieves had carted away copper wire, pipe fittings, galvanised sheets and other items.
The unarmed guards said the building was too expansive for just four of them to adequately provide round-the-clock patrol.
They claim that on evenings the homeless walk with their cardboard boxes, used as make shift beds, to spend the night in the complex. The barrier around the compound has also become a hazard to road users as several sheets of galvanise used to fence the perimeter have become partially dislodged.
Yesterday's powerful winds forced drivers and pedestrians using Chancery Lane to dodge the sheets of material which blew in their direction.
In April 2010, contractor Johnson International walked off the project which had been saddled with cost overruns. During a tour of the facility in July 2010, Planning Minister Mary King said they were looking for a contractor to complete the project which was earmarked for completion in August 2007. King also noted at that time the project, which was originally scheduled to cost $296 million, had increased to $440 million. A Udecott official, who asked not to be identified, said yesterday the company could not do anything until a board had been appointed. Former Udecott chairman and Housing Development Corporation CEO Jearlean John is tipped to head the Udecott board.