RELIEVED residents of an Abaco shanty town have vowed not to let outsiders construct new structures in The Farm following this week's favourable Supreme Court judgement.

Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson on Monday ordered that a standing injunction prohibiting the government from evicting shanty town residents and disconnecting services to their communities be extended to include all unregulated communities in Abaco.

She ordered the government cease and desist further interference with those communities until the judicial review of the matter is completed. Officials must now get approval from the court before demolishing any further structures.

Although Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Desmond Bannister has criticised the ruling – which the Office of the Attorney General intends to appeal – The Farm residents are ecstatic, according to a community leader.

“The situation in Abaco is such that even if you have money, you can’t find a place to rent,” said the man, who asked to be identified as Jonathan Pierre.

“Where these folks are staying, they are out of the way, they are not in anybody’s way. The monies they got from the Red Cross, that’s what they used to stay in Abaco. We have a housing problem here. A one bedroom place is like $800.”

Before Justice Grant-Thompson’s ruling, the Ministry of Works began demolishing occupied structures in The Farm. Mr Bannister insisted only structures built after Hurricane Dorian in 2019 were targeted for demolition.

Hoping to now gain favour with the government after this week’s ruling, residents are eager to ensure no additional structures are built in The Farm, Mr Pierre said.

“People are saying they’re not going to allow anybody else to build any house in The Farm area anymore,” he said. “Right now they don’t have no place to build and they don’t want no one go down and make it worse for them. If they find out people are building they will report those people so we’re just hoping that they don’t build anymore.”

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