The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

 CENTRAL and South Abaco MP John Pinder said Abaconians were disappointed in the Supreme Court ruling which only permitted the demolition of two shanty town structures.

 Chief Justice Ian Winder ordered the demolition of just two structures, far fewer than the 260-plus structures the Davis administration wanted to be destroyed in New Providence and Abaco.

 “It is still a major concern of issue for the Abaconians as a whole, we are disappointed at the ruling,” Mr Pinder said. “It would have been a quicker means to an end. But it will not deter the end results there in the parameters of the law and our legislation.

 “There are metrics to remove buildings that were put there without proper approval on land which is not owned by them.”

 He continued: "So as the Attorney General recently spoke about, this is the path that we are taking so the results will be the same. Those shantytowns will be removed.”

 Last week, Attorney General Ryan Pinder said the Davis administration would demolish shanty town structures using the process outlined in the Buildings Regulation Act after the Supreme Court failed to deliver a favourable result to the government last week.

 Government lawyers said the structures were built in contravention of Justice Cheryl Grant Thompson’s previous order that no structure in a shanty town be constructed, erected or altered pending her ruling on the Minnis administration’s eradication policies.

 “So that action was specific to the injunction that was given years ago, with respect to the shanty towns, and the judge ruled that the notice of the injunction was not adequately served on the applicable people that were enjoined,” the Attorney General said before a Cabinet meeting.

 “That does not foreclose us from proceeding under violations of the Buildings Regulation Act. That was specific to the injunction, which we wanted to proceed to test the injunction and test that matter in front of the courts; however, we certainly have every right to proceed with violations of the Buildings Regulation Act.

 “We intend to proceed along that process that has a notice process, and there are some prescribed requirements under the regulations that we have to follow, so we still are going to proceed under violation of the Buildings Regulation.”