The Breezes hotel laundromat feet away from the perimeter fence and the adjoining FDR parking lot.

THE St Ann Parish Council said it did not approve a massive laundry built by SuperClubs for its Breezes Hotel in Ocho Rios, which the neighbouring FDR Resorts complained has caused it heavy losses from unbookable guest rooms.

Frank Rance, CEO of FDR Resorts, quantified his losses at upwards of $500,000 a week, at approximately J$11,000 per person/per night, based on 23 suites that could not be booked, allegedly because of the noise and heat from the Breezes laundry.

But the St Ann Parish Council said this week that although an application was made for the construction of the laundry building, it had not been approved by the Council.

"It is now going through the process," secretary manager, Michael Morris told the Observer, and he added a caution that constructing a building before approval by the authorities constituted a breach of local building laws.

Observer sources also revealed that the application received the nod of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) on August 14, 2008, after the building was completed, unusual because the agency normally takes its cue from the parish councils.

Rance said that the massive laundromat - an imposing 100-foot corrugated metal structure standing an estimated 25 feet high and 30 feet wide - with a capacity to handle all the laundry from SuperClubs Jamaica hotels, was built by the hotel chain last November, mere feet from the perimeter fence blocking the view from the entrance foyer of FDR .

"The constant noise from the laundry since they started operation in January has affected all 23 suites at the front of the hotel," he complained to the Observer.

"We try not to book anybody in those rooms," Rance said, noting that over the Independence holidays in August, he had to rotate guests, moving them out of the front suites as soon as others became available.

He said the constant noise from the machinery and periodic emissions of steam from the laundromat had made life unbearable for both guests and workers at FDR.

"That's not a neighbourly thing to do," he remarked, saying that whenever steam came from the laundromat, the extreme heat could be felt in the FDR lobby.

"In fact, two blocks are now closed because of the heat and noise coming from the laundromat," Polly Williams, a worker at the hotel told the Observer.

"When the steam comes out, residue covers cars in the parking lot. When the machines kick in, the noise is unbearable and the whole place shakes," a front desk clerk added.

Strenuous efforts by the Observer to get a comment from SuperClubs have been unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the Observer source said NEPA had been unaware of the complaints by the FDR (Franklin D Resort) when it issued its permit and would be doing an inspection to determine whether the complaints were justified.

NEPA has the option of withdrawing its permit and closing the laundry, if it establishes that the complaints are legitimate.

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