MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Mandeville Mayor Donovan Mitchell has announced that, effective November 26, there will be a ban on the use of the Central Car Park in the town centre for a wholesale market.

“The decision follows numerous complaints received from the taxi associations.

The [Manchester Municipal] Corporation must ensure that the car park can effectively serve its intended purpose and facilitate orderly transportation,” Mitchell said during Thursday’s sitting of the corporation.

“I was there [in the car park] Tuesday evening and what I saw was not a wholesale market.

Three pounds of carrot and five pounds of Irish potato and two pounds of yam is not wholesale market.

There is space in the Mandeville Market and we intend to create additional space.

“That is the space that we want to use for vending,” Mitchell added in reference to plans to demolish an old derelict building at the back of the market.

He said the ban is among a number of measures being implemented to eliminate chaos in Mandeville.

“We are trying to bring order to the town of Mandeville… I know people tend to use this [saying] that we are ‘fighting against poor people’.

I don’t know how that works, but all we are saying is, we must start at the right place.

Not because we are poor, [should it mean that] we can’t obey the law and do things orderly.

We have to first set the example,” declared Mitchell.

“When there is chaos in the town centre, petty crimes start and I know that we have received a number of complaints about pickpocketing,” the mayor added as he reiterated that public order enforcement activities are continuing across Manchester.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that the Manchester Municipal Corporation is serious about restoring order, protecting public spaces and ensuring that development across the parish takes place in an orderly and lawful manner.

Our special enforcement team commenced operations on October 1 targeting illegal buildings, unauthorised car marts, wayside garages and the unlawful placement of building material on parochial roads.

“It is not about money, it is about order, you cannot be building a house with a veranda in the roadway.

You can’t be building houses in drains and then if it rains you get damaged and complain that Manchester [Municipal Corporation] is not doing anything.

Development must never come at the expense of public safety and progress must always be accompanied by responsibility,” added Mitchell.