Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development, Denis Kellman is adamant that as the urban area further develops, especially as it relates to high-rise housing, it is imperative to have more open spaces and parks that would provide opportunities for recreation as well as economic activity.
“We cannot have open areas and parks and people believe that these are areas only for people to come and loiter or play. Wherever there are open spaces and parks, there must be opportunity for some type of commercial activity so that the persons in the area can generate some type of income,” he said during a recent debate in the House of Assembly.
Minister Kellman added, “We have to understand it is not just about planting trees, putting down benches and things like that, we also have to recognise there is a human side to everything we do.”
With that in mind, the Housing and Lands Minister said he looks forward to the day when there is a wider appreciation for the role that vending has played in the overall development of this country.
“We would not have called it vending in the day or vendors, we would have called them hawkers, but their contribution to the development of this country is so great that no one can question it. And I want to make the point that if we continue to turn a blind eye to vending then we would turn a blind eye to growth in this economy as it relates to manufacturing and the link to agriculture etc,” he stated.
Kellman, adamant that vendors are the drivers of local produce and products, said it is imperative that in locations across the island are allocated for open spaces, that adequate provision is made within those spaces for persons to ply their trade. He said doing so creates not only opportunities for self employment, but for persons to become empowered and to be able to support their families.
The Minister, who is responsible for the Rural Development Commission (RDC), went on to say that agencies like the RDC and its sister agency the Urban Development Commission (UDC) also have a significant roles to play in further developing the country. He said fortunate for the UDC a lot of the work has already been done, but he said the RDC faces the challenge of having the largest land mass to cultivate and it must therefore find the necessary resources to make that a reality. (JRT)