WHILE a $400M plan is on the cards to repair the Stabroek wharf, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has said it has plans to design the front of the Stabroek Market into a “civic square” acting on recommendations by Professor Akhtar Khan.Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan on Wednesday in an invited comment confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle that the Council is particularly interested in adopting the area which once accommodated vending and minibuses to make it into “a place of recreation for citizens”.

Duncan said in a post on social media last night that all city markets will be rehabilitated under the new Council, and the Stabroek Market project is a massive multi-million dollar one which encourages sustainable development.

“We aim to improve the quality, economic growth, convenience and sustainability of the environment in which we live and work, together with the participation and involvement of the residents of Georgetown,” the Deputy Mayor stated.

The Deputy Mayor said the Council’s undertaking to move the vendors from the Stabroek Market bazaar was one in accordance with Professor Khan’s plan, which suggested “a solution to street vendors, within the urban context: size and location with a standard model be introduced, demarcation of stalls is necessary, some re-location programme [should] be developed, [and] the area in front of Stabroek Market to be designed as a civic square to be used as a place of recreation for citizens.”

While difficult days are ahead, Duncan said “tough decisions have to be made. But I believe we have the fortitude as a city to make them and to move Georgetown forward”.

While vendors have been asked to move, the relocation process is a bit rocky, with hurt vendors taking to the streets in protest, even as City Hall begins preparation of the venue and are registering vendors for occupation of stalls.

While some believe the removal of vendors “from the periphery of the Market is a policy callously implemented,” the Deputy Mayor said: “Yet quite the opposite obtained; knowing full well the livelihoods at stake and the many families to be affected, made the decision that [is] much more difficult. No one wants to make such dark decisions, yet tough decisions have to be made if we are to move Georgetown forward in the way in which, in the end, we can all be proud.”

Duncan yesterday apologised to the vendors for being unpunctual in providing the services at the new area promised temporarily by the council for the efficient running of the city’s business.

“I believed that we should have exerted greater efficacy on getting the proposed area ready for our vendors who are such an important part of the character of our city. Setbacks occur in everyday life, yet punctuality in providing the service(s) we promised is of paramount importance to the efficiency of the Georgetown municipality. For the delays in getting the proposed location ready, in my personal capacity, I offer the city and affected vendors in particular my unreserved apology.”

Along the water’s edge, Duncan said part of Professor Khan’s elegant plan, which the city is taking into consideration, is the construction of a riverside esplanade.

“Provision should be made for a riverside promenade extending from America Street’s stelling to Schumaker’s. This will provide the public an opportunity of enjoying the scenic views of the river.”
Duncan said “Georgetown is a historic colonial city that must be modernised if it is to survive the 21st Century. Part of the M&CC’s remit is administrating vending in the city along with its five municipal markets.”

He said while city vending, in particular, is governed by the Municipal and Districts Councils Act, the very Act dictates that “vending is restricted to small amount of items and the Act abhors fixed structures, at a base level you ‘walk and sell’.”

According to Duncan, quite the opposite has developed over the years and the Council is reaffirming its influence while collaborating with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) in restoring Georgetown as the Garden City of the Caribbean.

He said too the citizens should understand that the lack of political will had, over the years, prevented several development plans for Georgetown, as conflicting issues had developed.