The promoters of two popular breakfast parties scheduled to take place on Carnival Sunday night in Diamond Vale are yet to be granted licences, after the Diamond Vale Residents Committee presented a petition signed by more than 265 residents objecting to their being held in the area.
The organisers of the Sunny Side Up Breakfast Party and D'Original Vale Breakfast Party walked out of the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates Court empty-handed yesterday after the special sitting of the Licensing Committee, headed by Senior Magistrate Annette Mc Kenzie.
The Sunny Side Up Breakfast Party is set to take place at the St Michael's Parish Hall, Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard, on February 10, while D'Original Vale Breakfast Party is scheduled to come off at Amethyst Park on the same day. Saying the committee would visit both locations over the weekend, Mc Kenzie warned attorney Asha Watkins that continued adjournments over the "highly contentious events" would hurt the chances of the promoters securing a licence in time.
However, representatives for both camps are optimistic that they will secure the licences and the parties will go on.
In the petition, residents claimed they were denied the right to enjoy life and property as the parties often drew crowds in excess of 4,000 people, which in turn led to general nuisance problems such as a traffic gridlock, people urinating on walls, fights, excessively loud music, indiscriminate parking, people engaging in sexual acts, property being destroyed and the use of obscene language.
During the session yesterday, Mc Kenzie heard from two residents who were in favour of the Sunny Side Up party. The men, who have lived in the area for the past ten years, denied experiencing any problems arising out of either party, and described music levels from last year's parties as "not more than usual" and "not unduly loud."
They live approximately 60 and 80 metres from where the Sunny Side Up Party will be held, but both said they had never experienced anyone blocking the entrance and exits to their homes, as parking last year was provided at the nearby Diego Martin Secondary School.
Disputing this, a female resident said senior citizens in the community were often affected by the noise and the inability to easily access their homes. Speaking with the T&T Guardian immediately after yesterday's sitting, several residents expressed joy that their objections were being considered, as they had previously felt ignored.
Presenting the other side of the story, party officials said they tried to address some of the residents' concerns during a town meeting last October, then proposed a compromise on several issues raised.