KINGSTON Mayor Desmond McKenzie yesterday accused the US Embassy of starting “preparatory work” on the construction of a new two-storey office annex at its Liguanea, St Andrew, headquarters without getting approval from the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

In a statement yesterday, the mayor said he had written to US Ambassador Brenda LaGrange Johnson about it.

The mayor also said that KSAC’s city engineer Norman Shand was on Thursday denied access to the embassy “when he went to assess” the situation.

“However, the city engineer was able to detect a temporary wooden structure which has been constructed in preparation for the building of the Annex, in breach of KSAC regulations, and immediately issued an order for the embassy to cease work on that project,” the mayor was quoted as saying in the statement from his office.

The new office annex, the mayor said, will house the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

On Tuesday, the KSAC said it had decided to re-examine an application from the embassy to construct additional buildings – including USAID offices – and that it planned to organise a tour of the area following reports of traffic congestion caused by visitors to the embassy.

“We are planning next week to have an on-the-spot look at what is happening and decide where to go from there; and what approach we are going to take,” McKenzie had told reporters at a press briefing after the council meeting.

The mayor said the KSAC had before it an application from the embassy for additional buildings, but that “we will have to consider the application in a very serious way in light of the situation” [ traffic congestion].

Up to press time, a date for next week’s planned tour of the Liguanea area was not available.