SHOULD it be returned to office, the Coalition Government has pledged to invest some $150 to $200M on the development of Linden’s River Front, which is part of the town’s Plan of Action for Tourism Development.

This is according to environmentalist and champion of Linden River Front Development, as well as Founder of the Linden River Front Festival, Samuel Wright. He related that stakeholders close to the project, including the Region Ten Tourism Association, have engaged the government on the plans, and pledges were made to allocate up to $200M, which will fund the developmental project. “We have engaged the Guyana Government and we expect, over the next year, about $150 to $200M spent on the river front development. This is very exciting for us,” Wright said. The plan entails detailed areas of development that will take place.

First of all, Wright said that a massive clean-up campaign will commence to facilitate the development, and this will occur on both sides of the river. Included in the development is the construction of a Marina, which will facilitate the influx of tourists, already noticed in the town, visiting to experience the beauty of the river front, particularly at night. “We are looking to develop a marina, because more and more people are coming up the river, wanting to see the river, wanting to see Linden from the river side,” Wright said. A Marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.

In addition, a feasibility study will be completed to ascertain the possibility of a commercial wharf at Silvertown. Wright said this is needed, since Linden can be classified as a port, but all of the ports are industrial ones; hence, there is need to develop a commercial wharf, which will transform Silvertown as the commercial centre of the Wismar shore. This will see a boost in economic activities on the Wismar Shore.

The River Front Development Plan also entails the construction of fishing tiers, since fishing is still a common past time and economic activity, done on both sides of the river. The fishing tier, Wright said, will enhance their access to the water.

A feasibility study will also be conducted, to develop the Christianburg Water Wheel; a historic land mark at Christianburg. “We come to the water wheel and we say yes, it is a nice water wheel. It is a nice historic site, but we say is more than that; we would like to develop the water wheel and record the history of the water wheel and the history of Christianburg,” Wright posited. The feasibility study will include the construction of a restaurant, a wharf, a park with beautiful landscaping and gardening, to really attract tourists to the destination.

The Christianburg Water Wheel is one of Guyana’s magnificent Industrial monuments. In 1803, John Dagleish Patterson, a Scottish engineer, operated a sawmill in the Christianburg area and the water wheel was used to help transport logs down the river.
Wright urged all Lindeners to be very excited about this tourism developmental project, since the boost in the tourism industry in Linden will be a big boost to its economy. “We should be excited, $150M or more, we have a plan coming along, we have a task force and I look forward to seeing this developed next year and we all can celebrate and use the river front,” he said.

The development of the river front is one of the most important aspects of developing tourism, since the river front can be deemed the cradle of the township. Wright explained that every aspect of tourism depend on the river front, since everything originate on the river front. This include industrial tourism– since Linden is a port; and historical tourism– since several historical buildings from the colonial era are still standing on the river front, which can also be tied into architectural tourism. He also spoke of fishing as aqua tourism; entertainment tourism with the establishment of several bars and environmental tourism, since all of the creeks in Linden are drained by the river.

At the Linden River Front 2019 launch, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, said the Government of Guyana remains committed to the development of river fronts in the various administrative regions, as it forms part of plans to transform the country into a ‘green state’ within 30 years.

We are going to be transformed into a ‘green state’ and a ‘green economy’. What that means is that our behaviour and our attitude toward our environment have to change in keeping with that strategy; and so our attitude to rivers, our attitude to creeks, our attitude to the trees, our attitude to our environment, the air we breathe, has to undergo significant changes,” he said.

Strides to develop the river front commenced with the construction of a boardwalk on the Wismar Shore, by the Regional Democratic Council, to the tune of $10M. The spacious yellow-and-blue boardwalk is located in the vicinity of the Wismar Municipal Market, the Wismar Police Station and the Linden Magistrate’s Court, and in close proximity to several private business entities as well.