Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing my letter, ‘Signs proclaim that site of historic Chateau Margot Chimney now in private hands’ (SN: 7/12/19), which voiced concerns on the fate of the Chateau Margot site.
I was very relieved by the promises/assurances made by the respected Mr Roshan Khan on behalf of the owners. I look forward to the creation of a beautiful park and garden which will be a fitting setting for a national monument and a much needed green space for the community. However, further concerns remain about the future of this site and its structural stability. I had hoped there would be some official responses on what is, after all, an important historic landmark. However, unless I missed it, there seems to have been no reaction/concern from officialdom.
As noted in my previous letter, the sign on the gate reads, ‘Nadia Gardens Housing Development’ and not ‘proposal for gardens and preservation of historic chimney’. Mr Khan has pointed out that ‘all developmental plans for the land…currently include the preservation of the historic landmark’ (SN: 08/12/19). Could the owners say:
1. How much of the actual land will be reserved for the gardens.
2. How any building works will affect the structural stability of this old landmark and what will be the height of any new buildings.
3. What guarantees are there that buyers now or in the future will continue to respect the chimney site.
Unless we find a way to permanently protect this monument, it will always stand threatened by the vagaries of what passes for “development.”
Yours faithfully,
Bernadette Persaud
