A local construction engineer has expressed concern over whether the foundation of the 103 ft, 178-year-old Kingston Lighthouse could withstand the heavy pile driving that would be required for the building of a hotel.
The 103 ft 178-year-old Kingston Lighthouse, which is a national monument.
A site in the area has been earmarked for the construction of a US$52 million 160-room hotel with casino, nightclub, restaurants and a conference centre in a ten-storey building of approximately 185,000 square feet. Preparatory work, such as clearing the site of derelict buildings and vegetation, has been completed and the developers are currently seeking an environmental permit to begin work this year.
The engineer, who prefers anonymity, told Stabroek News that he was concerned about the weakening of the foundation of the lighthouse, buildings in the vicinity and the seawall itself due to the pile driving exercise that would be necessary.
There was also a suggestion that instead of building a hotel, the history of the area should be preserved through the recreation of the historical Fort Groyne.
The lighthouse, with its distinct vertical red and white stripes, was first built as a wooden structure by the Dutch in 1817 and then replaced by British engineers with a brick structure in 1830 (it was commissioned on June 1, 1830). The current building, which is a national monument, was reinforced on a foundation of 49 greenheart piles.
The lighthouse, as an aid to navigation is covered under the Guyana Shipping Act 1998. It says, under Section 242, that no aid shall be established without the prior authorisation of the director and unless it confirms to such specifications as may be stipulated; no aid shall be discontinued or have its fighting characteristics or any other distinguishing feature altered. The Act also stipulates that the director shall ensure that all aids are established in compliance with the stipulated conditions and specifications and are maintained in working order; and bring to the attention of the public information on changes to, or, deficiencies in any aid to navigation.
Meanwhile, historical architect and member of the National Trust, Lennox Hernandes, said he believed the area was bad for hotel development.
“I personally feel it is bad for hotel development from a historical architectural point of view,” he said, adding, “Fort Groyne is a very historical area. There is a lot of history there. Building a hotel on that site would be taking away the history from the people. I think history should be recreated to benefit all Guyanese.”
Recreating the historical site, he said could enhance tourism and recreation development in the area and it may have economic benefits though not the same as a hotel.
He bemoaned the fact that the Luckoo Swimming Pool was not reconstructed and suggested that it could still be rebuilt to add to the limited recreational facilities, badly needed in the city. Building a hotel there, he added would be “taking that recreation facility out of the hands of ordinary Guyanese.”
Meanwhile, Environmen-tal Management Consultants (EMC), which conducted an Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the developers of the hotel Adam Development/Urbahn Associates (ADUA) has suggested placing a beacon on the highest point of the hotel with further range, greater visibility and low maintenance. The recommendation was made to mitigate the hotel project standing in the way of the Lighthouse, which serves as the beacon to incoming ocean-going vessels, at the mouth of the Demerara River.
Stabroek News understands that the Marine Administration Department (MARAD) is looking at options as to where to place the light to guide mariners at sea who depend on the Lighthouse, in the event that the hotel is built.
In a telephone interview, Harbour Master Volton Skeete told Stabroek News on Friday that the proposed hotel would be a larger building that would block the Lighthouse from mariners at sea.
However, he contended, there were options including building a new Lighthouse or placing a rotating light on top of the proposed hotel.
If the hotel – dubbed the Georgetown Marriott, Hotel Casino and Entertainment Complex’ is built – Skeete said, the light would definitely have to move. He said there would be advantages in moving it to a higher building extending the range of visibility on a clear night by just about five miles more on the horizon. The range on a clear night is about 15 miles.
Skeete said that because of modern technology aiding navigation both on land and at sea, the lighthouse has more or less outgrown its usefulness as a mariner’s guide, even though it is still used by some fishermen not equipped with the advanced technology.
He said a large hotel with lots of light, “That alone will serve as a guide to fishermen at sea.”
However, Hernandes said, even if the functions of the Lighthouse were no longer needed for navigational purposes, its panoramic view would be curtailed by the hotel development. He noted that at present ordinary people and tourists make climbing the spiraling stairway to the top of the Lighthouse, a sort of pilgrimage. From there, they are able to enjoy views of the city, the Demerara River, the West Coast and far out to sea.
In seeking out the spot for the construction of the hotel, the ESIA said, the developers considered a number of properties, including sites near the Guyana International Con-vention Centre at Liliendaal and Buddy’s International Hotel at Providence. None of the sites was found to be appropriate, as they were deemed too remote from the central Georgetown business centre, lacking sufficient utilities and not offering the panoramic view of the Kingston location.
The ESIA said the Kingston site was considered because it fell within an area in the Greater Georgetown Development Plan (GGDP), which has been proposed as an area to feature mainly recreational facilities.
The hotel project site covers an area of 6.27 acres of land that previously housed the Food and Drug Analyst Department and Luckoo Swimming Pool and it is contiguous to the Atlantic Ocean and the Demerara River. Neighbouring properties include the National Centre for Educational Resource Centre, Le Meridien Pegasus, Demerara Timbers Limited, Guyana Forestry Commis-sion and the Coast Guard. The Lighthouse, an outstanding feature of the landscape, which is less than 200 metres away from the proposed development site is not listed as a neighbouring property.
man when will this govt. see that they are destroying guyana rich history for
greed , how can a true patriotic guyanese do this to his own country just for
a few dollars its unbelievable could they not find another suitable site close
to the seawalls to build this hotel, what about the east coast area, they should
look at that area to build the hotel and that would create new jobs and development for that part of the country, dont focus on g/town all the time but
rather other parts of the country so guyanese would have somewhere to go other than g/town , I SAY DO NOT DESTROY OUR RICH HERITAGE AND HISTORY
MR. PRESIDENT.
torbo so you are saying they shouldn’t built the hotel? you dont even have evidence just someone comment and you brewing fire . it’s damn if the do and damn if they dont
As much as I appreciate Mr. Hernandez’ comments on the Lighthouse, he is a little ‘late for the bus’. The Project’s EIA or ESIA is complete and work has begun. Unfortunately, except where there is heightened awareness of the cultural and economic value of historic sites, these resources invariably give way to this brand of ‘economic development’. Not only has Hernandez’ own agency been delinquent in its duty to raise awareness of the value of the past in Guyana, but so has the city’s municipality and the Housing and Planning authority who evidently sanctioned this new ‘development’. Mr. Skeete is correct to conclude that the Lighthouse no longer serves its utilitarian purpose and nothing has been done to establish its intrinsic historical value in the eyes of the general public. The Trust and others in the heritage preservation business must strengthen or develop its public awareness programs as the act of preserving a structure does not, by itself, insure preservation. Just as firms develop their business plans, there must be programs to educate and inform the public on these sites and the possibilities for development, beginning at the level of the primary schools. With this step, there might have been a ready band of ‘Lighthouse constituents’ and, with active advocacy, the hotel project would have had to find an alternative site. Mind you, if the current climate patterns persist and sea level rise continues, this ‘flagship’ will no doubt set sail – sling mud, piles and all – and Guyanese will again lose ‘corn and husk’ and “The Developers”? Long gone.
well done stabroek newss….continue to shun development in this land of ours……………..
could you please define development for me?
The solution is srew piling.This is a technology where screws are screwed into the substructure and is excellent for soft land.
All that is required is a small excavator and three persons, and the time frame is half that it takes to do wood piles.
It is twice as strong as wood piles.
Sounds sensible, But will the builders listen? They can be stubborn and still want to drive piles causing the ground to vibrate and deform and possibly push over the lighthouse.
I think that the plan for building another hotel in guyana is a disastrous idea right now, with the world’s economy in turmoil why take a risk with your money, i have read of several hotels been put up for sale for lack of business and high maintenance, and why cloud the already historical site, another location should be found for such venture. To the builder if you want to risk your money i guess you can cause it’s yours anyway.
Don’t tek worries financial advisor, it’s not your money.
Voices need to be raised in light of this revealation so that ,, there r many other places in the c’bean who cater for such elaborate ,, entertainment facility,, where of course servitude is the general mode,, ever been to de bajan country ! ??????
why or what would bring tourists to GY ,, where there is total ” disorder ” in everything around us there!,, as for the dirty muddy water ,, that will not stop unless some one ? stops the Amazon from flowing !
don’t even think of it ! i’m just the messenger ,, so y’all could hang up the noose !……..
As I said before, there is a price to pay for development, so some features will have to be compromised.
The thing is, how does one justify sidelining a 178 year old icon in favor of this new development, which for all intents and purposes could fail?
Govt. has to realise that as the chief custodian of land they have to be able to look developers in the eye and say “this far you may go, here is where the buck stops”.
However, since “kick backs” run things all over this world then this must be wishful thinking on my part.
Maybe in bringing development to Essequibo and Berbice we could just bulldoze Fort Nassau, Fort Island and Kyk-over-Al, and make way for amusement parks, as this will show signs of “investor’s confidence” in the local economy.
Isn’t this what Dereck Walcott was roundly condemning when he spoke abt C’bean leaders prostituting in the name of development? The president’s response and you have your answer, bro
I am utterly appalled at the fact that Mr Skeete is not even putting into perspective the history of this 178 year old LIGHTHOUSE. Where is your sense of pride in your country’s history, and it’s future. We are still a developing country, and as noted in this article; there is still boaters and fishermen who do not have the modern equipment on their boats to navigate the coastline. They depend on the lighthouse to guide them home. What about it’s history for all past, present and future generations. This is very upsetting that you would even consider proposing replacing this NATIONAL MONUMENT with a rotating beacon on top of the hotel or building a new lighthouse (because a LANDMARK NATIONAL MONUMENT is in the way of the hotel project) this kind of ignorance sure makes you wonder who is in- charge of the governance of our country. You should be embarrassed of yourself, the sad notion is that this all boils down to greed and selfishness.
His jobs First, History Second, That is how Mr Skeete see it
sonia madera.
Have you ever visited the Lighthouse?
Where were the voices of these people before? After all the years of research and planning, their now coming out of the woodwork. This is ludicrist!!!
If they knew of the historical value, why wasn’t it preserved prior? Why did they allow derelic structures and wild vegetation to florish. If this was so important for Guyanese history, why now. This is where incompitence and lack of inovation failed the Guyanese people.
As the saying goes (you don’t cry over spilt milk, you clean it up and move on.)
The Light house can be preserved by relocating it to another site. Inovative thinking and skills can do it.
London bridge was dismantled and moved to the USA. nothing is impossible.
“London bridge was dismantled and moved to the USA. nothing”? WHEN?
and where is the USA is it located?
Delevopment is surely more work for the unemployed in my Native Land. There are so many solutions other than pile driving greenheart for soft soil, the engineers will soon apply that, they are weighting the options I guess.
I’ve witnessed demolitions where for eg. a 76 storey Skyscraper was torn down with dynamites and the other buildings were a mere 90 meters with not even a glass broken on the other structures
Now comes the Critics, surely because they were not consulted or given a job they now start their negative propaganda to with-hold progress. So Sad…..