VICE President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has made it clear that efforts to block development will not materalise.
His statement was in response to the current A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) led-Mayor and City Council still claiming ownership of the lands along Carifesta Avenue, despite the fact that the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) has already set the record straight.
“They’re back at it again now, trying to block the US$300 million hotel by saying they own the land.

“You should read the release from Lands and Surveys in detail. This is what they’ve gone about all the time, perpetuating these myths, the lies and all of it to block development,” Dr Jagdeo said at a PPP/C press conference on Friday last at Freedom House.
Set to be the country’s largest tourism and hospitality investment, the sod was turned on February 18 at Carifesta Avenue, where the Georgetown Seafront Resort and Convention Centre will be built.

Touted to be a world-class facility, the new resort will feature 260 rooms and suites, 150 service apartments and premium villas, and it represents a collaboration between the Governments of Guyana and Qatar.
The project is being executed by private investors, the Assets Group out of Qatar and construction is expected to begin soon with the hopes of completion within three years.

The five-star facility will also feature retail units for food and beverages, high luxury fashion brands, a state-of-the-art health club and a convention centre with cutting-edge facilities. It was uniquely designed with Guyanese in mind.
However, some officials from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council claim that the lands are owned by the city.

However, the GLSC has since clarified that those lands belong to the State providing detailed historical and legal context to clarify the ownership status of the disputed lands.
The GLSC referenced Transport Number 235 of 1863, which delineates two plots of land at Plantation Thomas – Lot Number One containing 240 ½ acres and Lot Number Two containing five acres. It was emphasised that while Lot Number Two was transferred to Quintin Hogg, the remaining 240.5 acres are still held by the government.

Moreover, the GLSC clarified that there is no evidence indicating that Quintin Hogg transferred the five-acre parcel to the Mayor and Town Council (M&CC). The Commission highlighted the conditions of the transport, which stipulated that the government is responsible for maintaining the Sea Dam and Bridges, given the lands’ adjacency to them.

It further stated that the M&CC released a copy of the last page of the said transport, claiming that the lands at Carifesta Avenue belongs to the Council under that transport. Those with knowledge of the subject would understand that one needs to read the first two pages to determine where and how much land is referred to.
The GLSC has examined the actual transport that has been in its possession for some time now and the back page seems to match Transport 337 of 1886. The GLSC has used this transport many times as a reference whenever the Commission deals with surveys and land transactions in Plantation Thomas.