PORT ANTONIO, Portland — The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) has lost a year-long battle to prevent the demolition of its building at 11 Harbour Street in Port Antonio. But president of the society’s Portland branch Larry Robertson refuses to give up.

The JAS had sought to have the building declared a heritage site, but according to acting CEO of the Portland Municipal Corporation Jumaane Robinson, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) has indicated that it has no interest in the structure.

“The next step now is to reach out to the JAS and advise them of the process we are looking at, which is demolition as [outlined] under the Building Act. I am going to have dialogue with JAS to inform them. The Public Health [Department] mentioned that the building is a public nuisance and we can also serve that notice but we are leaning towards the demolition order,” Robinson said at the most recent monthly meeting of the municipal corporation.

The JAS’ Robertson, who has been leading the fight to save the building, was absent from last Thursday’s meeting where the announcement was made but on Tuesday insisted that the “property belongs to the farmers of Jamaica and should be maintained for posterity”.

“I have tried my best to keep the building and if the corporation feels that they should destroy the building and award the space to a private investor, so be it,” he said when asked for a comment.

Robertson said the municipal corporation had not yet notified him or the wider JAS body of the latest developments, even though the society would be expected to pay for the demolition. He is hoping a last-ditch appeal will bear fruit.

“If the JNHT have no interest I feel we can appeal to investors to refurbish the building. But I will have to contact the heritage trust [to confirm] if they say they have no interest, because they had said they had interest in a new position,” Robertson told the Observer.

His efforts to save the building first became clear in April 2024 when, during a meeting, the corporation’s then acting CEO Megan Bramwell read correspondence from lawyers representing the JAS and the JNHT requesting a stay of demolition.

At the time, the JNHT indicated its support for the JAS to be given time to repair the building.

“Considering the historical and architectural significance of the building the JNHT has commenced the process to have the site declared as a national monument. We are therefore requesting that an extension be granted to the JAS to carry out the necessary rehabilitation to ensure that the structure is preserved,” the letter said then.

In June 2024, Bramwell told another meeting of the municipal corporation that its month-old instructions for the building, deemed unsafe, to be boarded up had been ignored. She also noted that there had been no further communication from JNHT after its initial assertion that it was in favour of the structure being declared a heritage site as the JAS wished.

As far as the municipal corporation is concerned, the battle has now ended and the way has been paved for demolition to go ahead.