Letter of the Day | Strangled by unregulated development

THE EDITOR, Madam:

There have been praises about the high-rise buildings around Kingston (and I acknowledge some are quite attractive), but there are many people who are extremely unhappy about some of the developments in residential areas. Many of us have lived in our homes for a very long time, and the haphazard way these developments and coming up, without notification, is causing us great pain, as we do not get the opportunity to object in a timely manner.

There is the question about the quality of construction, where it seems that corners have been cut, and many things are not done. In one apartment complex, for example, the sewerage system was improperly constructed, causing raw sewage to be floating on the lawns, pathways and roadways whenever it rained.

These multistorey dwellings are in areas that are zoned for single-family housing, many of which are overlooking, blocking and even able to look directly into our homes. There is a complete loss of privacy and, as a matter of fact, some building party spaces on top of all of this. Some single home owners are no longer able to get a view of the sky and mountains because these buildings are so high and so close to their homes.

It seems that there is no consideration given for the existing houses in the area nor about the density of the new constructions, and actually some exceed the numbers approved. We know if these high-rise buildings are not properly managed, they could become ‘ghettoes’. Therefore, we are now being forced to consider mortgaging our homes and our children’s inheritance in order to defend or undo what these people have done.

How is this unplanned development taking place? And what is the end objective of all this? Can this unplanned development be stopped and more discussions had with home owners before these complexes spring up?

We need justice!

CONCERNED CITIZEN