—President Ali says, urges small bar, club owners to soundproof establishments to ease noise nuisance
PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has announced plans to rezone sections of Enmore and other communities to move noisy and environmentally disruptive businesses away from residential areas, as the government advances its Model Village Initiative and moves to improve living conditions across the country.
Speaking during a community consultation at Enmore, East Coast Demerara, last week, President Ali said the government has been working with engineers, planners and urban-development specialists to assess the existing layout of communities and develop options for their transformation.
Central to those plans, he said, is better separation of residential, commercial and industrial activities, particularly businesses such as spray-painting operations, mechanic shops and other enterprises that can create noise or environmental disturbances for residents.
“We want to create spaces in your community where we can put all of these different industries and shops, so that your community where you live becomes a place of comfort, pleasing to you, pleasing to your family,” President Ali said.
The Head of State explained that the work follows a series of site visits and assessments conducted over recent months. Those findings will inform development profiles and planning options that will be presented to residents as the Model Village Initiative advances.
The proposed approach would see designated commercial and industrial zones established to accommodate potentially disruptive activities, while residential areas benefit from improved roads, drainage, lighting, green spaces and other community amenities.
President Ali also linked the initiative to efforts to attract private investment, create employment and better organise economic activity within communities, including through the development of zones for machining, agro-processing and other commercial activities.
Residents and community leaders will have an opportunity to contribute to the planning process, with the president stressing that each community has its own identity and that development plans must respond to local needs.
Officials from several government agencies were also present at the Enmore consultation to document residents’ complaints and concerns for follow-up.
At Enmore, the Model Village Initiative is expected to cover approximately 408 acres and benefit some 8,000 households.
Plans include improvements to 21,259 metres of roads and 42,518 metres of drains across 176 roads within the designated area.
The development profile also takes into consideration existing community facilities, including two schools, two churches, three mandirs, two masjids, a police outpost, post office, hospital and cemetery, as the government seeks to create a safer, cleaner and more resilient community.
SOUNDPROOFING SUPPORT FOR BARS
Noise pollution has emerged as a recurring concern during the ongoing model-village consultations, with residents raising complaints about bars and other entertainment establishments operating within residential communities.
Addressing a similar consultation in Region Six, President Ali said the government also intends to work with established bars and entertainment businesses to help them reduce the impact of noise on surrounding neighbourhoods.
He encouraged operators to explore financing through the Guyana Development Bank to invest in soundproofing their establishments.
“We want to work with all of the established bar and entertainment areas to see how we can grant concessions for them to bring in soundproof material,” President Ali said.
He added: “So, with [funding from] the development bank, they can enclose their bars with soundproof material, so who wants to hear the noise hard can go inside, but the noise does not come out to affect the neighbourhood.”
The initiative would allow entertainment businesses to continue operating while reducing disturbances to nearby households.
The government has also been pursuing measures to better monitor noise levels.
In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), began installing sound-monitoring devices along the seawall, with a wider national rollout planned.
The devices are intended to measure noise levels in areas where entertainment establishments operate and provide data to help address noise pollution.
Entertainment operators are expected to keep noise within established thresholds, as the government continues to pursue measures aimed at balancing commercial and entertainment activities with residents’ right to peaceful and comfortable communities.
