By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 100 illegal structures in the T-Wash shantytown on Cowpen Road will soon be demolished, according to Craig Delancy, buildings control officer at the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs.

In August, the Unregulated Communities Action Task Force issued 28-day eviction notices to 123 structures in the T-Wash area. Mr Delancy said since the notices were served, several residents have vacated their homes. He added officials are now preparing to demolish all illegal structures as the deadline has passed. 

Mr Delancy acknowledged that some people have moved into other areas but urged individuals to obey the law, stressing no one should build or move into unregulated communities. He said some residents are moving into regulated areas with proper housing and infrastructure. 

When The Tribune visited T-Wash in August, 24-year-old Haitian national Kenwolf Fertilus said his family paid rent to an unidentified man to live there. He fears his family will end up homeless if they can’t find a new home before their unregulated dwelling is bulldozed. 

Regarding claims of residents paying rent in unregulated areas, Mr Delancy said: “They should try not to go into those areas, knowing quite well that whom they’re paying rent to is doing it out of their own volition and not as part of a regulated subdivision or community. They need to find out from the owner whether they have legitimate rights to that property.” 

Fifteen unregulated areas have been identified in New Providence. Officials also said that addressing illegal communities in the Family Islands is a priority for the Unregulated Communities Action Task Force. 

Although successive administrations have pledged to eradicate shanty towns, their efforts were often stymied in court.

In 2023, in a long-awaited ruling, Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson concluded that the Minnis administration’s eradication policies were lawful. 

The Office of the Attorney General then asked Chief Justice Sir Ian Winder to order the demolition of nearly 300 structures that were built in contravention of Justice Grant Thompson’s previous order prohibiting the construction, erection, or alteration of buildings or structures in shanty towns throughout the country pending her ruling. 

Sir Ian only granted permission for two structures to be demolished. However, his ruling paved the way for the minister of works to initiate a demolition process under the Buildings Regulation Act. The Davis administration has since been demolishing structures without court challenges. 

The task force has demolished structures in all Saints Way and Kool Acres in New Providence.

In February, the demolition of shantytowns in Abaco began.