The citizens of the Golden Triangle and surrounding areas have declared war on creeping commercialisation and flawed urban planning in what they have labelled one of Kingston's oldest and most prestigious residential districts.

The residents have, as a result, formed the Trafalgar Council, a citizen's action committee.

A release issued on the weekend stated that the Trafalgar Council is "an amalgam of the main umbrella citizens associations in the Golden Triangle (Seymour Lands), Trafalgar Park and the residential sections of New Kingston".

The council "reflects the political unification of Waderoy Clarke, deputy chairman of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) Building Committee and Jamaica Labour Party councillor, Trafalgar Division, and People's National Party deputy general secretary Julian Robinson in his capacity as caretaker/councillor, Trafalgar Division, on these issues".

Joseph Cox, convenor of the Trafalgar Council, economic consultant and former talk show host, said the more than 20,000 residents the group represents are angered by years of inaction and/or "lassitude" on the part of public sector agencies to effectively treat with the many complaints about creeping commercialisation over recent decades. He said the public sector bodies with which the residents have had to interact on an indivi-dual association basis have not operated in a consistent manner and have rendered all prior agreements meaningless.

Dependent on rules

"... the 'rules' seem to have a fluidity of their own and such 'rules' seem to be dependent on which citizens group is being addressed," the release from the council read. "Some of the breaches highlighted by the Trafalgar Council include the operation of a nightclub boasting open-air entertainment within 100 metres of a Ministry of Health approved Home for the Aged in the midst of a residential community, the granting of permission for the operation of a massage parlour (despite objections from both the citizens and the KSAC), and a radio station right beside a multi-storey apartment complex, itself a breach."

Cox said that, in this regard, though the intervention of the Public Defender had already been sought, a powerful legal team was being developed to utilise the court system to facilitate effective enforcement of the restrictive covenants by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Town and Country Planning Authority.

"This will include a stop order on any new commercial developments coupled with the seeking of injunctive relief to force NEPA to consult with affected persons before making any amendments to the zoning laws, density ratios or setback distances for Seymour Lands, Trafalgar Park, and the residential sections of New Kingston," the release read. "The council will also be seeking a reversal of those approvals granted without proper consultations as required under the law. This, as persons in the affected communities are being misled into believing that the zoning regulations have bee and despite strong objections by individuals and citizens' associations, planning permission continues to be granted in an arbitrary fashion and citizens concerns dismissed with impunity."