Minister of Transport and Works, Michael Lashley, prior to leading off debate on the abandonment of a previously approved resolution to compulsorily acquire a parcel of land in Weston, St. James.
Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley expressed concern about the power of the state in acquiring the properties of landowners in this country.
“My view is that if you look at the Land Acquisition Act, one could argue that it is heavily, heavily, heavily, heavily in favour of the state,” he told the House of Assembly yesterday.
He said that in the majority of the cases, landowners whose land was being compulsorily claimed by the state, often explained to the housing ministry – after seeing the notice in the paper – that they wanted to keep the land to use as collateral for loans or to pass down to another generation.
However, the attorney-at-law pointed out that the undefined reasoning of “for the public purpose” in the act caused most of these persons to lose their land.
“Not only is there a human cost to these actions, but indeed some of the families would have had businesses attached to their property where they derived an income to support and sustain their families, but again the emotional attachment to the land – that this land is to pass down,” he stressed.
Lashley therefore insisted that it was time to balance rights of landowner with those of state.
He also commented on the length of time it took for land acquisitions to be approved and for the landowners to be compensated within a reasonable timeframe.
At the time, he was speaking in Parliament after outlining that government was abandoning a previously approved resolution to compulsorily acquire a parcel of land in Weston, St. James.
(JMB)