Mentore says legal action likely over Qatar project
-following disclosure of intended sale of land claimed by city
Litigation will likely be the recourse of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) if President Irfaan Ali does not meet with Chief Citizen Alfred Mentore regarding the construction of the Qatari Hotel on disputed lands along Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.
Mentore told Stabroek News yesterday that a letter will be issued with a stipulated timeframe for President Ali to heed the request of the council as it relates to the construction of the hotel on lands that the mayor said were bequeathed to the council more than 130 years ago.
The lands were assigned by the estate of Quintin Hogg in 1887 to the city of Georgetown with the covenant that they be used for recreational purposes. This was later amended to allow educational institutions.
The Guyana Office for Investment (GInvest) on Thursday disclosed that the Qatari company (Assets Group Inc.) planning the luxury development on Carifesta Avenue will purchase the land for $2b.
Mentore yesterday declared that the company can’t purchase land that doesn’t belong to them unless they consult with the council.
He warned that if the company or the government fails to consult with him on the matter the council will issue a cease order against the work that is getting underway on the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Guyana National Service (GNS) grounds for the US$300m resort.
With that being said the Chief Citizen said that the council’s attorney will be consulted as it relates to the intended purchase of the land.
According to the Chief Citizen, the government cannot decide that a facility of such magnitude will be built on lands belonging to the city without consulting the council.
He noted that if the state was interested in building the facility on these lands, procedurally applications must be submitted to institutions such as the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission and the Guyana Land Registry, etcetera.
Additionally, the State must detail the intended purposes of the said hotel, seafront resort and convention centre.
Mentore reiterated that the GNS and NIS grounds were meant for educational, recreational and institutional purposes.
In a statement on Wednesday G-Invest said that the purchase price was part of the Memorandum of Understanding that was inked. Wednesday’s statement was the first disclosure of the intended sale of the land.
The project will be spearheaded through Assets Group, a subsidiary of Power International Holding (PIH), and is slated to be completed by March 01, 2026.
The release contended that the proposed development frontally addresses the country’s deficit of quality room stock by more than doubling the number of available rooms within a one-mile radius. In addition, the resort will feature a worldclass 30,000 square foot convention centre outfitted with all modern amenities to cater to international conferences and events of diverse scales, thereby increasing Guyana’s competitiveness as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism destination.
It was also disclosed that an Investment Agreement with the Government of Guyana, facilitated through the Guyana Office for Investment, is in its final stages. It is aimed at providing fiscal concessions in keeping with the standard incentive regime for hotel businesses and the tourism sector.
Since taking office in 2020, the administration has received several proposals to construct internationally branded hotels and state-of-the-art convention centres in Guyana. Notably, this particular proposal compares “very favourably” to all others received, the release added.
The Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) in a recent statement contended that the Carifesta Avenue grounds earmarked for the Qatari resort are held by the state and not the Mayor and City Council.
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 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 saved and except Lot C previously held by J.V. Caetano which was acquired for the construction of Irving Street, the residual is being fenced into the Guyana Public Service premises now.
“The area retained by the 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.