CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Government has publicly apologized to the St. Lucia National Trust (Trust) following the demolition of the former Royal Gaol without adequate consultation with the Trust, which has the mandate to take care of the island’s built cultural, historical and natural heritage.
The Royal Gaol was completed in 1827 after three years of construction at the cost of significance, £5,417 (One British Pound=US$1.24 cents). It was the only known structure in St. Lucia dating to the 1820s and was the oldest known standing structure in the capital.
The former Allen Chastanet administration gave the green light for demolishing the building in the heart of the capital in preparation for the construction of new police headwaters and a criminal court.
But after two days of demolition on September 7th and 8th, 2018, the Trust obtained a High Court injunction restraining the Government from continuing the destruction.
On October 24, 201, a written undertaking outlining a consultative process between the Trust, the Development Control Authority (DCA), and the Government was signed, explicitly calling for the Trust to be consulted at various stages of the project culminating in the Trust being consulted when the plans for the police headquarters and criminal court were finalized.
That day, a consent order ending the High Court proceedings between the Trust and the Government was also approved.
“The Trust thus agreed to end these court proceedings on the premise that the Government would faithfully abide by the provisions of the written undertaking. After the letter, two meetings and a site walkthrough were held between the Government and the Trust representatives. The Trust submitted recommendations on the future development of the Royal Gaol site in March 2019,” according to the government statement.
It said that from May 23-24, 2020, the former Royal Gaol was demolished by contractors duly authorized by the previous Government.
”This demolition occurred despite the explicit provisions of the written undertaking specifically restraining the Government from resuming the demolition activities until specified milestones and agreements had been reached.
“The Government admits that the demolition contravened the clear terms of the written undertaking. The Government unreservedly acknowledges to the Trust its breach of the specific provisions of the written undertaking that mandated it to hold further consultations before the demolition of the historic Royal Gaol.,” the statement said.
It noted that the Trust had commenced fresh proceedings against the Government in the High Court in May 2021, seeking declarations that the latter had breached its express undertaking to consult with the former before demolishing the Royal Gaol.
“The Government has settled these fresh Court proceedings with the Trust and has committed to developing and implementing, within 2022, measures that would prevent the future recurrence of such unfortunate events. The Government unreservedly reaffirms its support to the Trust’s mandate of protecting St. Lucia’s natural and built inheritance,” the statement added.
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