Residents petition MP over 'nuisance' food stall

As of Monday, September 1, 2014

By NICO SCAVELLA

SEA Breeze residents have requested State Minister of Transport Hope Strachan’s assistance in removing a recently constructed food stall that has become a “neighbourhood nuisance”.

In a letter addressed to the area’s MP, residents last week filed complaints against the new structure that is allegedly making life miserable for their “quiet residential neighbourhood”.

In the letter, residents alleged persons constructed a “wooden hut with windows, barbeque grills and external benches for seating” in the parkette at the mouth of the Sea Breeze Canal, about 100 yards east of the Charles Saunders Highway and Golf Course Boulevard junction.

According to the letter, the stall serves “cooked food and drinks” daily from Monday to Saturday. Then on Saturday evenings, “loud music is played” for the patrons who “sit on the benches or drive up in their cars and park”.

“It has become a neighbourhood nuisance and we are afraid to voice open objections because of the rough appearance of some of the patrons,” the letter read. “It is likely that beer and wine are also served to patrons. We had hoped that telephone complaints to the police would have resulted in this obviously unauthorised structure being forced to shut down and be removed.

“Such has not the case and this state of affairs has continued for at least the past six months. We beg your assistance in removing this nuisance from our quiet residential neighbourhood.”

When The Tribune contacted Ms Strachan, she said she had received the letter and is looking into it. She said that the appropriate actions can only be taken once she ascertains whether the operators of the stall possess a business licence.

“I have asked the authorities to look into it,” she said. “I’m trying to determine if they have a business licence. If they have a business license, then that’s something that has to be considered and if not, we’ll ask the appropriate authorities to deal with it.

“It has to be determined if they have a business licence. If not, the commissioner of police has to be engaged. I can’t go there and shut them down myself personally. The commissioner of police would then have to be engaged to see that they remove the structure and that they don’t operate from that particular location.”

Ms Strachan said that as it relates to the “loud music”, she could not say what the stall operators are allowed to do under their licence.

“We have to determine what the license is, and I am presently looking into it,” she said. “I have received the letter and I have already made the requisite inquiries and I’ve been promised that it will be looked into.

“My thing would be to urge the constituents to be patient. I’m working on it presently to try and determine what the situation is. I’m aware of the situation, I have seen it. They have sent me the letter, and I intend to ensure that it is properly addressed.”

More like this story

ThisIsOurs 10 years, 2 months ago

Honestly Mrs Strachan, how could they have gotten a business license to operate there???? Something would have to be wrong with the approval process.

bismark 10 years, 2 months ago

you people forgot who is in power?the plp,wait on some kind of action don't hold your breath.

TalRussell 10 years, 2 months ago

it's stuff like this that can make even Papa's Junior Minister Bran look good. OK Minister Hope, after all of the 5 minutes it would have taken you to have placed your Sea Breeze caller on hold, while you called the Business Licensing department to confirm, if the "shack and drums" had a legit license, you could have given a sensible answer to the concerned Sea Breeze you had placed on hold. What are you going to do, call-in that new intelligence division to drive out Sea Breeze and then write up a report , wait for for maybe forwarding on to your office, sometime in only God himself knows when?

Clamshell 10 years, 2 months ago

Well said, Tal. This bureaucrat clearly was upset that somebody was expecting her to stop shopping for cosmetics online long enough to actually do her job. Imagine the nerve!

In the Bahamas, the bureaucratic phrase "We're looking into it" translates roughly to, "Call us back in two years, by which time we will have lost your paperwork. Meantime, go pound sand."

TalRussell 10 years, 2 months ago

This might shock many of my Comrades but get Minister Freddy on the phone (not difficult at all) and despite as much he is accused of globe trotting the man does understand that sometime that person on end of the phone really do need help and can' do it on their own. Freddy doesn't give you stall tactics. He reminds me lots of Milo B. Butler. Sr. Guess what, he's that way the PM, both them former law partners.

DillyTree 10 years, 2 months ago

And when they move this illegal booth (c'mon, who actually believes they have a business permit?) will that mean they will sue the government for 3 million dollars like that clown at Potter's Cay some months back?

Oh, but then we have to wait for possibily years while the ever-efficient PLP wheelgrinders look into the facts of the matter...

TheMadHatter 10 years, 2 months ago

I'm sure Govt won't shut them down if they are Haitians. Won't want to be accused of being racist.

TheMadHatter

empathy 10 years, 2 months ago

What about "Zoning"?! This is a residential area (Thisisours makes this point). Too often the "authorities" tolerate 'business squatters" putting up structures on public land and opening up shops.....most of these folks don't apply for business licenses, the whole process is a joke! Even if the property belongs to the business owner, we need to enforce (and in many cases establish) proper zoning. Many of the homes in this location are in the $300- $600K range, civil authorities need to protect these folks investments.

Sign in to comment

OpenID

The Tribune