Qatari resort site with

In the wake of a dispute, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) says that the Carifesta Avenue grounds earmarked for a massive Qatari resort are held by the state and not the Mayor and City Council.

Government’s whirlwind announcement over the weekend of the Qatari project raised concerns from the city which has contended that the lands in questions were passed to it by the estate of Quintin Hogg in 1887 for recreational use.

The GLSC disputed this yesterday. In a statement, it said that its records show that Lots 1 and 2 of Plantation Thomas were held under Transport number 30 of 1863 by the Colony of British Guiana.

These have since been referred to as Government Lands after 1966. The GLSC said it issued leases on Colony Lands (CLL category) and continues to issue leases on Government Lands now the GLL category. The unique feature is that these lands are held under Transports as against State Lands which are not.

It said that Lot 2 was transferred to Hogg vide Transport in 1886. A portion of land consisting of 15 acres called Non Pareil Park along with two other portions called A and B comprising 18 and 10 areas respectively were later transferred by Hogg to the Mayor and Town Council of Georgetown vide Transport Number 337 of 1887.

“The area basically covered under this Transport extended from Camp (Road) to Vlissingen Road in an East west Direction and the area immediately south of Queen’s

College’s southern boundary, to Cummings Canal in a North South Direction. This block of land was save and except Lot C previously held by J.V. Caetano and which was acquired for the construction of Irving Street, the residual being fenced into the Guyana Public Service premises now.

“The area retained by Government covered the entire area to the North of the grounds on the Northern side of Woolford Avenue from Camp (Road) to Vlissingen Road up to the Sea wall (basically from Queen’s College to the sea wall)”, it asserted.

Over the years, it said that various surveys were done over all of the lands for different purposes by both the Town Council and the Government, for instance the land on which the Government Technical Institute (GTI) was built was acquired by government from the City Council by Order number 27 of 1951 (plan 5678).

It added that the Indian Education Trust College of British Guiana obtained Lease 347 of 1960 from the City Council for 99 years for the area east of GTI. The Tennis Court, it said, is the property of the Council. Central High School was surveyed by the Council in 1959 (plan 8921) but at no time did the council survey north of Central and Queen’s College. “They basically knew their boundaries back then”, the statement said.

Plan 11057, it says, shows the playgrounds north of Woolford Avenue surveyed by the Council in 1964 and added