St Clair Police Station to make way for hotel

[Xplode]

St Clair Police Station to make way for hotel
Sunday, November 22 2015

GOVERNMENT will be seeking to re-site the St Clair Police Station and acquire property around the offices of the Ministry of Agriculture as part of plans to remove the ministry to Chaguanas and build a hotel at the site, People’s National Movement (PNM) chairman Franklin Khan announced yesterday.

Khan, also Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, was speaking at a media conference following the PNM General Council meeting at Balisier House, Portof- Spain. He reported that at the meeting the planned removal of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries to a Chaguanas building earmarked by the previous People’s Partnership administration for use by the (now defunct) Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training. He noted that the plan was to have the ministry moved by the end of the year so that it will be fully operational in January.

He reported Government will be inviting bids for construction of a new hotel at the St Clair site which he described as “premium”.

He said that as part of this process they will be doing “concentric acquisitions” around the Ministry of Agriculture site to acquire additional land for the hotel.

He noted that areas earmarked for acquisition include the area where the School Nutrition Company was formerly based and was “semi-abandoned” and was likely a State property.

Khan said there were also some apartment blocks to the rear of the site which they are looking at acquiring and the current site of the St Clair Police Station to see if they can re-site it. “So we will have a wide expanse of land on which to build the hotel,” he explained.

Last month at the post-Cabinet media briefing Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie stated there were long-standing plans to develop the site as a hotel.

He reported that it was still in the “formative stages” so he could not provide details on the size of the hotel or the type of hotel it will be. He also said the decision to move the Agriculture Ministry to Chaguanas was based on the fact that most of the farming communities are based in Central and this move would therefore be an asset to the farmers.

source today's Newsday

[zoom rader]

^^^ Kick backs start.
Seems Bailiser house is now parliament.

[DVSTT]

Is it really necessary?

[zoom rader]

Is it really necessary?

Yes their party financiers have to make money . Payback time bro

[Gem_in_i]

Is it really necessary?

When I heard abt this I asked the same thing

[SYKO]

If they really have to put up a hotel, it really have to go there? What about East, Central or South?? I guess is ram everything in POS and environs.

[Lance]

I could never understand why a government would seek to spearhead a profit seeking venture such as this.

Governments should limit their ownership involvement to two scenarios (1) Infrastructure/utility projects where initial investment is so high that only a monopolistic market structure is feasible (2) natural resource industries whose operations are critical for national development.

But a hotel? The government needs to justify that.

Before the sheep jump in; This is NOT the same as Magdalena. This might very well be similar to the Hyatt deal that turned out to be VERY problematic.

[pete]

Who did the kapok management piss off? Or they looking to get more rooms?

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

[eliteauto]

well property values just went up more

[EmilioA]

I could never understand why a government would seek to spearhead a profit seeking venture such as this.
.

Agreed. If a hotelier want to build a hotel let them do it without Govt intervention.

Also considering the Carlton Savannah get in trouble becuase of lack of occupants exactly who supposed to be filling this hotel ?

[Strugglerzinc]

If they really have to put up a hotel, it really have to go there? What about East, Central or South?? I guess is ram everything in POS and environs.

You missed the part about Agriculture moving out of POS?

[Xplode]

The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries started to move out already with the help from the army ,good source says from the apartment complex Prada street flats part owned by HDC ,the Jamaica High commission , to this date the youth club where the School Nutrition Company was ,T&TEC sub station will be demolished the new St.Clair police station will be put on hold they just started the foundation ,

I personally own an apartment in the complex and if they will have to relocate they have to come good

[10-01]

I could never understand why a government would seek to spearhead a profit seeking venture such as this.
.

Agreed. If a hotelier want to build a hotel let them do it without Govt intervention.

Also considering the Carlton Savannah get in trouble becuase of lack of occupants exactly who supposed to be filling this hotel ?

carlton savannah is like econo .... idk why they ever built that in the first place

[DVSTT]

Is it really necessary?

When I heard abt this I asked the same thing

Since the treasury empty and we on the verge of hard times, is this really where we should be spending money?
Is there a demand for the hotel?
Will we make.a profit from it?

[antlind]

Willing to bet that the hotel never gets completed. And costs 10x the original estimate.

[zoom rader]

Willing to bet that the hotel never gets completed. And costs 10x the original estimate.

Well it depends on who building it.
If it's the state then expect bobol
If it's private money they will want value for money and least cost.

Again if private. It will have some bobol between government and investor. This government financiers need to get back their money spent 10 fold

[rspann]

All who doh like it ,rock so nah! And Rowley have court clothes in case anybody have objections.

[Habit7]

I could never understand why a government would seek to spearhead a profit seeking venture such as this.
.

Agreed. If a hotelier want to build a hotel let them do it without Govt intervention.

Also considering the Carlton Savannah get in trouble becuase of lack of occupants exactly who supposed to be filling this hotel ?

But govt built Hilton, Hyatt, Magdalena Grand, without these hotels we can't even hold birthday party. Govt always have drives hotel development in TT. We have 1500 +3 star rooms, in order to have a tourism drive we need a 6000 rooms. More than likely it will be a foreign operator running it so I doubt financiers eating from this one.

[ruffrider27]

Hyatt Grand 1000+ rooms watch and see
Hyatt regency Trinidad makes so much business sometimes they bookout have to send guest to other hotels

[crazychinee]

Going to be done by a member of the syrian community.
Hasn't been a big secret, head about this about 2 months ago.

[mitsutt]

First of all this was announced since under the Manning administration, I remember quite clearly.

Here is part of an archive from 2008
Ministry of Agriculture, Trinidad
Located in St. Clair, Port of Spain, this 5-acre site is currently home to the Ministry of Agriculture. However, it has been earmarked by Government for high-end hotel development.
In the off-peak traffic period Piarco International Airport is 30 minutes away.

Project Concept
Business Hotel: 5 Star Level Range
This could include:
· 150-300 rooms
· Mixed use with luxury residential
· Limited retail

Then the PP continued with the plan, here's another archive
Ministries head to Chaguanas
Friday, May 18 2012

THE headquarters of the Ministries of Food Production, Tertiary Education and Community Development will all be relocated to Chaguanas as part of the People’s Partnership Government’s decentralisation thrust.

Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan made the announcement yesterday at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Stating members of the population have been claiming they have not been “seeing change” since the Partnership assumed office two years ago, Rambachan said Government will publish a magazine on May 24, “which will detail for the last 12 months, the work of the Government.”

Saying the coalition pledged to make government services more easily available to the population through decentralisation, Rambachan said lands near the Divali Nagar site in Chaguanas will be dedicated today at 1 pm for the Tertiary Education Ministry’s new head office (15 acres), and the University of the West Indies Open Campus (ten acres). The Tertiary Education Ministry’s head office is currently located at Tower C of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre.

Rambachan said the Community Development Ministry’s headquarters at Jerningham Avenue in Port-of-Spain, will be relocated to the Connector Road in Chaguanas. The Food Production Ministry’s head office which is currently located in St Clair, will be relocated to 27 acres of land at Factory Road, Chaguanas.

Now here we are again in 2015, so continue taking chain up from all these politicians while they laugh and have a time together.

[Habit7]

^^^also some tuners to evaluate their position now.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

The last time I call police they never show up, so I doh see what is the problem here. Not like this would make a difference, you does hadda live by guess in this country. Pray and hope for d best!!!

[EmilioA]

Goes to show . With major development projects there is no PNM or UNC there is only "the plan"

[BRZ]

How about a connecting roadway from the bottom of lady chancellor to maraval main road in the vicinity of Kapok?, this would help when the Savannah is gridlocked that people who need to traverse st Ann's to the opposite side of the Savannah. Or at carnival time that residents don't get locked in their neighborhoods.

[pugboy]

it really dont matter whose idea it was
large projects can take several years to be passed and financing etc approved
eg piarco airport was initially project pride a big pnm proposal led by one Richard Jackman

[Xplode]

Minister F Khan going China for talks on same project looks like they looking for Chinese workmen to start ,heard not only the st Clair but east pos development project .

[desifemlove]

SO will the state run this or own it? i support it. Economic diversification, and St. Clair ent no scruff/gunta area, so high-end hotel fits. Only objection is that hotels don't need to be owned by the state. i does believe in small government.

[desifemlove]

First of all this was announced since under the Manning administration, I remember quite clearly.

Here is part of an archive from 2008
Ministry of Agriculture, Trinidad
Located in St. Clair, Port of Spain, this 5-acre site is currently home to the Ministry of Agriculture. However, it has been earmarked by Government for high-end hotel development.
In the off-peak traffic period Piarco International Airport is 30 minutes away.

Project Concept
Business Hotel: 5 Star Level Range
This could include:
· 150-300 rooms
· Mixed use with luxury residential
· Limited retail

Then the PP continued with the plan, here's another archive
Ministries head to Chaguanas
Friday, May 18 2012

THE headquarters of the Ministries of Food Production, Tertiary Education and Community Development will all be relocated to Chaguanas as part of the People’s Partnership Government’s decentralisation thrust.

Foreign Affairs and Communications Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan made the announcement yesterday at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Stating members of the population have been claiming they have not been “seeing change” since the Partnership assumed office two years ago, Rambachan said Government will publish a magazine on May 24, “which will detail for the last 12 months, the work of the Government.”

Saying the coalition pledged to make government services more easily available to the population through decentralisation, Rambachan said lands near the Divali Nagar site in Chaguanas will be dedicated today at 1 pm for the Tertiary Education Ministry’s new head office (15 acres), and the University of the West Indies Open Campus (ten acres). The Tertiary Education Ministry’s head office is currently located at Tower C of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre.

Rambachan said the Community Development Ministry’s headquarters at Jerningham Avenue in Port-of-Spain, will be relocated to the Connector Road in Chaguanas. The Food Production Ministry’s head office which is currently located in St Clair, will be relocated to 27 acres of land at Factory Road, Chaguanas.

Now here we are again in 2015, so continue taking chain up from all these politicians while they laugh and have a time together.

ok, since Kams and they support it...zr and co. gonna say it good now..hahaahaha.... again, it's a step in diversification.

[Lance]

SO will the state run this or own it? i support it. Economic diversification, and St. Clair ent no scruff/gunta area, so high-end hotel fits. Only objection is that hotels don't need to be owned by the state. i does believe in small government.

So why not let the private sector do this.

You're saying that you support state led capitalism?

It's the government's role to induce diversification through policy and regulation, NOT to actively engage in profit driven enterprises.