Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, November 14, 2023 – Despite legislation directly prohibiting it, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government has issued a notice stating its intent to demolish a home in Kew Town, Providenciales. Admittedly, constructed without the proper authorizations and approvals from the Planning Department, the home belongs to islanders who say they legally own the private land it sits on.
Section 70 of the TCI Physical Planning Ordinance describes how a dwelling that contravenes building codes should be dealt with. The government is allowed to:
- Require the owner via Notice to pull down the structure (provisions are made allowing the owner to fix the building to make it compliant.)
- If the owner does not comply in the specified time frame the board may remove the structure and charge the individual for the cost incurred to do so.
- However any notice MUST be given in the six years immediately after construction concluded.
The owner of the house received a notice of eviction advising her to find a new home by December 8th as on that date the current dwelling would be bulldozed.
“This alerts you that you built and occupied an illegal structure on private land without Planning or registered owner permission. Section 40 of the Physical Planning Ordinance, 2018 is violated by your action.”
The woman contends that she is the registered owner of the property and has the papers to prove it.
“The Registered owner of this property has 28 days from November 9, 2023, to evacuate the property, per an Enforcement Notice from the Department of Planning. Demolition will occur on December 8, 2023.
The Department of Planning advises you to find a suitable new home immediately to avoid last-minute disruptions. You must remove all belongings from the site before demolition on December 8, 2023. You cannot enter the site during the containment exercise,” the notice said.
The problem is the Government did not give the owner a chance to either upgrade the home to fit any discrepancy found by Planning, she contends. Instead she was told to evacuate. Additionally the home is over 20 years old according to the owner, well outside of the applicable period for notice to be served.
The property owner, who serves the Turks and Caicos as a member of the country’s armed forces, says she has gone to several government agencies to seek help with the issue and approached Ministers about the same.
When she spoke to Magnetic Media she was extremely distressed, explaining that this is a family home.
We have reached out to authorities to find out why demolition is the course of action taken especially as the country suffers through a housing crisis. The news team also wanted to find out whether the Department even had the right to issue such a notice.
Up to publication time, no response had been received.
It calls into question the level of research being done into properties put up for demolition and the resulting effect on the housing market, which though not stated, is in crisis mode due to the limited availability of affordable housing.