THE UNITED States Government has been given approval to construct its embassy on Bamboo Avenue in Liguanea, St. Andrew as long as it provides adequate parking and does not put its entrance on the avenue, Minister of Land and Environment Dean Peart has said.
The embassy project proposal has brought out howls of protest from the upscale Liguanea community in which it is located. Citizens were concerned that it would worsen their traffic problems and impact negatively on the residential nature of the area.
The Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) gave its approval for preliminary work to begin on the planned construction of the US$53 million embassy complex at the start of June. The KSAC's support came after the Town and Country Planning Authority and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) gave approval for preliminary work to begin on the site earlier in the year.
BAMBOO AVENUE RESTRICTED ENTRANCE
That approval gave permission for the 'removal of old trees, debris and demolition of swimming pool, shed, pump house, tennis court, basketball court and old school building' on the 14,500 square-metre property, which has frontages on Bamboo Avenue, Old Hope Road and Munroe Road.
But no approval had been given for the construction of the embassy building.
Minister Peart said that the new approval criteria, as outlined by NEPA, are that in constructing the embassy, adequate parking should be provided for at least 400 cars, and that the entrance to the embassy should not be located on Bamboo Avenue.
Speaking at his post-Sectoral Debate press conference last week, Minister Peart said it would not be fair to allow 400 cars coming through Bamboo Avenue, "so we are making it a restricted entrance."
Given the conditions that have been passed on to the United States Government, the Minister said "they must come to us and tell us how they are doing it, before any approval is given for the embassy to open for business."
The United States Government bought the land on which the proposed embassy is to be located in 1986. According to the Land and Environment Minister, at the time, "they got consent to put up an embassy in Liguanea."
He explained that at the time, an application was made to the Town Planning Department, which did not express a problem with the construction of an embassy.
However, in 1992 when construction began, Minister Peart said "work had to stop because they did not receive planning approval from the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC)... so we advised the embassy that they would have to go through the proper procedure and make an application."
Subsequently, the U.S. Govern-ment proceeded to make the application, "and in the final analysis, the KSAC gave them permission to construct the embassy."
