Committees to finalise report on Gordon House expansion
PARLIAMENT has confirmed that it has started negotiations with a number of people who own properties in the vicinity of Gordon House, Duke Street, Kingston, to acquire land for the expansion of the current facilities.
Leader of the House and Minister of National Security Dr Peter Phillips, who also chairs the House Committee, confirmed at a joint meeting of the House and Senate committees at Gordon House on Wednesday, that discussions had begun with the owners of adjacent properties.
The committee also agreed that this should end debates about whether a new building should be constructed at National Heroes Park, or at the site of the former Myrtle Bank Hotel in downtown Kingston. The move also confirms support for a proposal made during last year’s budget debate by Opposition Leader Bruce Golding that the current facilities be expanded.
“It is an indication that we are not leaving downtown,” Dr Phillips remarked.
However, the preparatory process is likely to take at least six months, and the committees will meet again in the third week of January to finalise a report to Parliament for debate.
Discussions are also to be held with Golding, who is the Member of Parliament for the area, about identifying a suitable area for the resettlement of residents squatting on the lands needed for the expansion.
Phillips was supported Wednesday by the Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, Derrick Smith. Smith agreed that despite the obvious delay in acquiring the land, the matter should be dealt with urgently.
Phillips urged the committee to agree to the procurement of a planner to provide advice on the details of the expansion and to set a time line – preferably within six months – and to procure the necessary resources to finance the proposals.
In the meantime, the committee is proposing a number of changes at Gordon House, including the replacement of old furniture and improved technological capacity, as well as increased security at the front of the building, in the lobby and in the members’ lounge.
