The Penal Debe Regional Corporation has opened an investigation into alleged encroachments on the Palmiste National Park.
The sprawling 40-acre estate, once owned by Sir Norman Lamont (Scottish politician turned sugar plantation owner and agricultural expert), has been designated as a National Heritage Site, protected by the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago. However, people have been dismantling the perimeter fencing and driving on the greens.
Yesterday, Guardian Media observed workers erecting a fence near the park.
President of the Palmiste Historical Society Terrence Honore said the Society has reported encroachments and is awaiting action.
“We are concerned about any encroachment on the park. We have had people invading the park with impunity, doing vending,” Honore lamented.
“I could understand that people are trying to make a buck but they are flouting every possible law regarding the preservation of a green space in Trinidad and Tobago,” he contended.
Honore said the Society takes the encroachments seriously. He claimed that a man who is virtually living on the verge of the park has erected a tent and a hammock permanently on the park’s periphery.
“He has his cars there and his dogs. This is upsetting the residents on their morning walks. We have brought this to the councillor’s attention and we are asking that measures be taken to look into this,” Honore said.
The Society has approached the Ministry of Agriculture and the Forestry Division but nothing was done, Honore said.
He called on the division to secure the boundary of the park and reinstate the perimeter fencing.
“This is a national treasure, an open space which requires environmental protection. We have a cadastral map that has to be resurveyed and we want this done so we can preserve this park,” he added.
He also called for the entire park to be cleaned.
Meanwhile, Councillor for Palmiste, Raven Ramsawak visited the park yesterday to assess encroachments and speak with the owner of the fence.
Ramsawak said if there is a breach, the regional corporation will take legal action.
“We will serve a legal notice and take this matter to court,” he added.
Ramsawak said along the SS Erin Road, vendors have broken down the fence and are now driving into the park to sell their goods.
“This is something we have been trying to combat at the corporation level. We have erected ‘no vending’ signs but no one pays heed to that,” Ramsawak said.
He explained that Municipal Police will be stationed in the park soon to monitor encroachment and illegal vending.
Concerning the erection of the fence along Brash Boulevard, Ramsawak met with the owner to discuss the allegations. The owner supplied a deed of the property to the corporation as proof that he owned the lands where the fence was being built.
The resident who later spoke with Guardian Media, on the condition of anonymity, claimed he acquired the property in 2006 and has been paying taxes on the land. He admitted to clearing and maintaining part of the park’s grounds by planting poui trees for beautification. The resident denied he had encroached on the park and also claimed that he had been maintaining a portion of the park using his funds to provide security.
Guardian Media reached out to Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein for a comment but all calls and messages went unanswered.