Development of Fort Charlotte still in limbo

Claudia Gardner

Hospitality Jamaica Writer

File - Plans for Fort Charlotte include retaining the Georgian style of the fort and the construction of facilities such as an amphitheatre, museum, restaurants and gift shops.

The Hanover Parish Council is still awaiting a response from the Department of the Commissioner of Lands, regarding a possible acquisition of the Fort Charlotte property in Lucea for development as a tourist attraction.

Secretary/Manager of the council, Alfred Graham, made this disclosure during an interview with Hospitality Jamaica on Friday.

"There is still no response from the Commissioner of Lands. I will have to do some follow-up during the course of next week. The first letter was sent some time in 2004 and the second in the latter part of 2005, requesting that the commissioner enters into an agreement with the council," Mr. Graham said.

"Either to sell us the property or enter into a long-term lease agreement so that the council will have some sort of tenure on the property and therefore have some say in the development of the area."

Relocation

The request to the commissioner had followed another request the council made to the Ministry of Local Government in August, for $2.3 million.

The monies were to facilitate the relocation of the National Works Agency (NWA) parish offices from the fort to a location at Miller's Drive in the town.

The ministry had requested that the council acquire the property before the funds be released to it.

There was a four-year impasse between the council and NWA, which finally ended in March following the intervention of the Ministry of Local Government and the subsequent decision by the NWA to relocate to the centre on the condition that the council effect the necessary repairs to the building.

In 2001, the Hanover Parish Council had requested that the agency vacate the premises after the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) allocated $2m the commencement of restoration work at the fort.

However, NWA Parish Manager, Phillip Clarke, complained at the time that the two proposed sites were either unattractive or too far from the town, and that the agency "would be forgotten".

Restoration of site

The TPDCo's plans for Fort Charlotte include retaining the Georgian style of the fort and the construction of facilities such as an amphitheatre, museum, restaurants and gift shops.

In October 2003, Prime Minister P. J. Patterson had called for joint venture partnerships between the government and private sector interests for the restoration of the historic location. At the time, he said the state would arrange for a lease on the facility.

Mr. Graham said the council is yet to resume talks with the TPDCo, but was planning to do so as soon as the land tenure is finalised.

"We have not had any discussions with the TPDCo. We really don't want to get back into any discussions until we know where we are going. When we have tenure on it, then we will know the way forward so we will start putting measures in place," he said.