Golden Triangle residents want role in plans for Vale Royal
IN A bid to safeguard a piece of Jamaica’s rich history, Hilary Nicholson, a member of the Golden Triangle Neighbourhood Association (GTNA), said last week that she was greatly disappointed by the lack of response from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in relation to her team’s offer to help restore and renovate Vale Royal.
In recent days, the deteriorating condition of Vale Royal, the official residence of the nation’s head of government, has recaptured the public’s attention after a viral social media post by sports researcher Carole Beckford showcased the heritage site in a state of disrepair.
Last week, Nicholson told The Gleaner that her first attempt at communication with the OPM saw progress, as an online meeting was arranged to discuss the plans going forward. However, Nicholson said movement on the matter came to an end after she requested a more hands-on look at the building.
“We requested a site visit so that the professionals in our group could get a little closer and make a proposal as to how to restore and repair the building. We were refused the site visit,” said the documentary researcher and gender ,justice and human-rights advocate.
She said the association was told that they posed a security risk, and that a site visit was not in order.
Thereafter, Nicholson reached out to Julian Robinson, the member of parliament for the St Andrew South Eastern, the constituency in which Vale Royal is located. Robinson raised the matter in Parliament, questioning the prime minister on the plans for Vale Royal, but to no avail.
Nicholson noted that in Parliament at the end of 2022, the Government said it was ensuring the maintenance and the repair of Vale Royal.
However, based on recent video uploads showing the dilapidated state of the property, the Government’t reassurances have yet to bear fruit.
COLONIAL MUSEUM
Nicholson and her team had made several proposals on how to properly utilise the property. She said she suggested using it as a museum about Jamaica’s colonial history and heritage, so that students could have access to the information. She even suggested making it into an art gallery.
“You could turn it into a most beautiful gallery and exhibition space, because Kingston is very short of gallery and exhibition spaces. We don’t have enough,” she said.
She continued: “It could also be used for concerts and performances. Imagine going to a digital outdoor concert. Wouldn’t that be absolutely gorgeous?”
With the state of Vale Royal being a concern for Jamaicans, Nicholson is hoping that the Government will take immediate action and accept the association’s help, starting with the desired site visit.
“The people in our group who have architectural, design, engineering and construction skills could look at Vale Royal and see what needs to be done, because there needs to be a professional assessment of what repairs and restorations are needed and are possible. There would have to be some fundraising with the Government. Jamaica has to be involved in it, and we are willing to work with the Government,” she said as she outlined her plan, which would require a team of individuals with various skills.
The GTNA grew out of the Golden Triangle Neighbourhood Watch, and has existed since 2000 with a track record of being one of the founding members of the Citizens Rights to the City alliance, and engaging in projects such as the potential widening of Lady Musgrave Road and the erection of high-rise buildings, highways, concrete car parks and other developments.
In the meantime, Beckford told The Gleaner she did not understand how Vale Royal was allowed to get to its current state.
“If it’s a heritage site it must be maintained as such, but we can’t afford a structure like that to fall into dilapidation. The public outcry has forced them into action. We have enough historical artefacts we can use. Fix the building first of all and, under the Heritage Act, we can find a use for it,” Beckford said, asserting that the Government should provide the public with a schedule, and emphasising that the building’s restoration would be a worthwhile endeavour as Jamaica approaches a significant year in both sports history and the country’s independence.
“Anything that sustains or maintains our heritage in whatever form is fine for me. The venue is ideally located in the centre of the city, and so it will be a part of our continued education and what we can look forward to as a nation. It could be the place for our sports museum. Any kind of thing to do with Jamaica’s heritage, I’m all about promoting it,” she said, adding that the location is ideal for films or other works of art that draw inspiration from the island. It also boasts one of the few clay courts in the country.
SEVERAL OPTIONS
“I could suggest several uses for it. I think it is an ideal spot for a film house, and if we have creations for writing stories about Jamaica, it is one of the ideal locations in Jamaica or in Kingston. Use the facility for what it is there for. It is a heritage site. We have hosted several events there for nationals. It can be turned into a museum, but it must be maintained.”
The 300-year-old Vale Royal structure was proposed, by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), to house a museum and library that would be a repository of documents and memorabilia of all prime ministers of Jamaica, instead of serving as the prime minister’s official residence.
In a statement, the Government also emphasised a need to strike a compromise between the building’s heritage status and practical factors, following an assessment of the structure in 2013 that revealed serious structural issues that would restrict its usage.