Community activist Stuart Dalgliesh, 59, is expecting a grandchild next month and he would like to be able to push the new born in a pram in the "Western Savannah" across from West Mall, Westmoorings. But the "savannah" is only a dream for Dalgliesh...for now. "I am seeing a savannah which the newly born to the elderly can enjoy," he said. The 30-40 acres of real estate opposite the mall, worth several million dollars, coveted by Government agencies and the private sector, have been lying idle for 30 years. Several plans to use it for different purposes have all come to nought. At present, the Water & Sewerage Authority (WASA) and the Port-of-Spain City Corporation are in a wrangle over the land in court. "The land belongs to the city council. That is established. But WASA is trying to steal it," Port-of-Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing said. MP Dr Keith Rowley said during the last administration, Cabinet approved the construction of a secondary school on a portion of the land. It was to be a project of the Education Facilities Company, a State enterprise.
As far as he knows, that Cabinet decision has not been changed, and approval for the school is still in place, he said. Communications specialist at the Education Ministry, Yolanda Morales-Carvalho, said the North West Secondary School was to be constructed at that site but the project was on hold because of the wrangle between the WASA and the City Corporation over title. Cabinet had also approved the construction of an administrative complex for the Diego Martin Regional Corporation. That was to be an Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) project, but for whatever reason, a contractor was not actually put on the site, Rowley said. He said with proper planning, the highly sought-after piece of land could also accommodate a park for residents. "Too much politics," Dalgliesh said, was preventing any meaningful resolution to the issue. Although the idea of a western savannah started with the Congress of the People (COP) three years ago, with which planning he had been a part, Dalgliesh said he has no political agenda. Three years ago, the COP outlined plans for the western peninsula in its manifesto which included the creation of recreational parks, he said. "I was involved in the COP at the time because I believed in what they were trying to achieve. But I am not a card-carrying member of any political party," Dalgliesh insists. There is a deep yearning for green space in Diego Martin, now crowded with concrete buildings, that inspires his fight for this western savannah, he said. "I have been living in Diego Martin for 30-odd years and for 30 years the land has been vacant," he said.
Squatters have now been added to the mix. "There are two squatters on the land, and you know when ten or 15 of them get in, it's hard to get them out." While the land remains vacant, all over Diego Martin, from the upscale to the grassroots parts, there is no significant green area, Dalgliesh noted. "Now and again, you may see an isolated football field. But people walk and jog on the sidewalk. I am one of thousands who are crying for a savannah." And why can't they use the Queen's Park Savannah (QPS), some ten minutes away? "You can't park at the QPS. It is totally full," he said. The group of people working with Dalgliesh to lobby for the western savannah comprises business people, architects and nature lovers, he said. He said he has spoken to Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, former prime minister Patrick Manning, WASA CEO Ganga Singh, and Mayor Lee Sing, all to no avail. Lee Sing told the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian he fully supported Dalgliesh's idea because "every square foot of green space in Diego Martin has been put in bricks, mortar, aluzinc and glass."
He said he has seen letters from Dalgliesh about the western savannah. Dalgliesh said all he ever got from the City Corporation was acknowledgement of his letters. He claims he is fed up and is prepared to host a meeting where all the parties involved can "sit down and work out the thing." But he is adamant that the land must be made into a savannah and nothing else. "If they want to put up a building or a school, we will help them find another spot," he said.