Arawak Homes Chairman Franklyn Wilson wants assurances from the Christie administration that the government supports ongoing discussions between the housing developer and three members of Parliament around land the government attained through compulsory acquisition in 1995 and 1999, and that those discussions are not just a waste of time.
In 1995, the government acquired land in Pinewood Gardens from Arawak Homes to build the Cleveland Eneas Primary School. Then in 1999, the government acquired yet more land in Pinewood Gardens for the Sadie Curtis Primary School and the C.W. Saunders Highway.
+Arawak Homes, having defeated competing claims to have title to the land in question, had said it intends to launch legal moves to take possession of all properties on its land that were not acquired from it. The move could have affected as many as 300-400 homeowners in Pinewood Gardens and Sir Lynden Pindling Estates who purchased their properties from vendors who allegedly did not have good title to the land they were selling.
Wilson told Guardian Business that Arawak Homes' management has also met with Minister of State for Investments and Pinewood MP Khaalis Rolle, Seabreeze MP and Minister of Financial Services Hope Strachan and Nassau Village MP Dion Smith, newly appointed chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation.
"They have all together or separately had meetings with senior management of Arawak Homes. They have expressed an interest in seeing to what extent they can arrive at some understanding with the company such that a number of issues that now impact a lot of residents in their areas might be settled," Wilson reported.
He said the MPs had cited the resolution of a land dispute in Bozine Town as precedent for what they would like to see done.
"We have indicated to them that the company is prepared to cooperate with the government in this initiative," Wilson said. "Right now, we are dealing -- as far as we know -- with members of Parliament. We do not yet have something to say that the government of The Bahamas itself is committed to this process. So we've asked them to get us something by which we could know that the government of The Bahamas says that we're not wasting time," he said.
"All they can do as MPs is to try and advance something which they encourage the government to support. What we now seek as a company is some confirmation from the government saying that they support the initiative," Wilson explained.
He said that given the complexity and time-consuming nature of the matter, the company merely wants an assurance that it is not wasting time. Wilson was quick to add that he trusted the MPs were working in good faith.
"We do not doubt the interest, or the desire for this group to move forward," he said.
Rolle told Guardian Business he is hopeful that a positive resolution can be reached.
"We are meeting fairly regularly, with a view of being able to put on one page all of the inventory that is affected and being able to get a clear picture of the situation," he said. "What's taking place now is their surveyors and our people are cross-referencing, because we need to have a detailed and accurate account of the inventory that is affected."
Rolle said the aim is to try and keep people in their homes.
"That's the goal, whatever formula we come up with at the end of the day. We need to know exactly what inventory we're dealing with, and then the government will sit down and make a determination as to how we attempt to resolve it with Arawak Homes and the homeowners," he said.
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