OCHO RIOS, St Ann — The St Ann Municipal Corporation has vowed to take legal action against developers who they say have deliberately disregarded a stop order placed on a building being erected in Moneague.

According to the corporation’s CEO Jennifer Brown-Cunningham, no building plans were submitted to the local authority. Therefore there was no inspection done by the corporation to ensure that the structure is in compliance with requirements outlined under the Building Act.

“The building in Moneague [is in] breach. On a number of occasions people don’t cease when they are served stop orders; but as it relates to this particular building it is now up to this municipality to carry it over to the courthouse and play our part from this side,” the CEO said during the corporation’s regular monthly meeting on Thursday.

“We will be moving on to the next step as soon as the superintendent finishes carrying out further investigations,” Brown-Cunningham added.

According to information provided during the meeting, the building is on the Moneague main road in the vicinity of Four Roads and, based on its layout, it appears to be commercial space.

Councillor Lloyd Garrick (People’s National Party, Moneague Division) raised concern that the building is impeding foot traffic and there has been improper disposal of construction material.

“My concern is that pedestrians have nowhere to walk because they [the construction] take over the sidewalk. There is a drain behind it and all the stuff that they use from the building is now in the drain. I want to know where all of that stuff will go. There is also no parking, because the building is on the roadside,” he noted.

Arguing that the corporation has a responsibility to ensure that residents are safe, Mayor of St Ann’s Bay Michael Belnavis made it clear that disregarding the corporation’s directives is not acceptable.

“It is a huge building — at least 5,000 square feet at the base. It should be a supermarket, based on the way it’s laid out. We can’t have commercial properties [being built] without us being able to guarantee the safety of individuals going through. We cannot condone people building in the parish without proper approval. We have a responsibility to ensure that [when] people go inside them they are safe,” he insisted.

“Right now, the worst-case scenario is that we might have to knock it down,” the mayor added.

Belnavis urged developers to consider the implications of skirting legal requirements when putting up structures.

“Integrity must be maintained when constructing these buildings. We have to think about earthquakes and if we don’t monitor the construction of these buildings it is only a matter of time before something tragic occurs and people get trapped inside and probably killed,” he warned.

Councillor Ian Bell (PNP, Beecher Town Division) described the unauthorised construction as a blatant slap in the corporation’s face.

“The building is complete and will soon be opened and there is no approval. It is an indictment on this municipal corporation for a complete plaza to be constructed on the main road [without approval]; it’s not like it was built in the hills or bushes. Thursday of last month I raised a concern about this building, because people have been calling me, and I told them I don’t know what to do so I’m going to bring it to the attention of the council. Then only to receive a call from someone telling me to back off. The only way I’m doing that is if I know it was erected correctly,” said Bell.