The Editor
The Anguillian newspaper
January 15, 2015
Dear Sir:
Kindly permit me to express my outrage over a matter which I believe is of national interest. As I drive along our main roads, I am appalled by the dilapidated condition of many buildings. Some examples are pictured above.
These buildings have been allowed to remain in this state of disrepair for years, and to my mind, they are “national eyesores”. In fact, they remind me of bombed out structures in the war zones of Gaza and Syria.
These structures degrade our built environment and are totally incompatible with our “upmarket” tourism image. Surely, we all must realize that the whole island, and not just the hotels, is our tourism product.
The time is right for the specific Government Ministries/Departments, and the property owners, to do something about these ghetto-like structures around the island and make Anguilla more aesthetically pleasing to residents and visitors.
The fact that these ugly structures have been allowed to exist for so long, is an indication of the failure of the State to effectively control land use and the development process.
I therefore propose that the new government should reintroduce the draft Physical Planning Bill as a matter of urgency. This action would facilitate more proactive measures to guide land use changes, and would halt the slide to an island that could resemble the Corito Landfill in the not-too-distant future.
Rodney Rey
