A recent issue of the Voice newspaper featured an article entitled: “Government Acquisition of Belair Lands Foils Local Companies’ Plans”. The story centred on a June 27, 2019 agreement between Exquisite Homes Limited and Geest Industries (Estate) Limited. The article opens: “A government acquisition of 52 acres of land in Belair, Castries, has left shareholders of two local companies on the brink of collapse; land they spent seven years preparing to transform into a residential housing area for low income earners.”
Having pointed out that the property in question was Gazetted by the government for acquisition, as cited in the June 16, 2019 edition of the Saint Lucia Gazette, the article quotes an Exquisite Homes Limited spokesperson: “We were therefore startled to learn that the property was acquired in a record time of one week between publication of the Gazette.”
The article went on: “According to Exquisite Homes Limited’s spokesperson, long before the closing date for the purchase of the land an unplanned development by persons unknown to Exquisite Homes Limited started on the very same land they [Exquisite] had already paid $760,000 for.” But now one of those “unknown persons” claims there’s more to the Voice story.
Conrad Flavius claims that “the land in question which belongs to Geest Industries was offered to the farmers in 2011”. He says he and other farmers had been on the land for many years, but without legal rights to it. Geest Industries offered to sell them the land in lots. A Geest letter addressed to Flavius, dated 20 September, 2011, confirms his recollection: “Dear Conrad Flavius, consequent upon a whole series of activities involving discussions, group meetings and consultations with occupiers of Geest Lands and Geest representatives, government officials as well as numerous interactions with parliamentary representatives, a firm proposal was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for their consideration.”
The letter goes on to say that the Cabinet of Ministers thereafter approved the disposal of the lands in question at nominal levels “particularly to the indigent portion of the population”. This 2011 letter was signed by the Geest Programme Manager, Douglas Rapier.
And so, with Cabinet’s approval, Geest Industries (Estates) Ltd. offered occupiers the opportunity to acquire title to their lots. In 2012, the initial offer was updated. Geest’s managing director, Maximilius Johannes, met with the farmers to propose the updated offer. According to Flavius, the lots would be two acres, priced at $17,000. Flavius says that by the time of the Johannes offer, he had already deposited $5,000 towards ownership of the land, which the signed letter confirms.
The missive was bookended by a 25 January, 2013 expiry date. Flavius says he paid a total of $14,000 of the $17,000 price of his lot and claims he’s been waiting to see what’s going to happen regarding his investment.
“After the deal’s expiry date,” he recalled, “the land was surveyed once more, based on a new deal between Geest and Exquisite Homes. We were not consulted.” As to the status of farmers’ claims to the land, Flavius explained: “We were asked to go to Crown Lands. We’ve done that, submitted our names and numbers.”
We reached out to a spokesperson of Exquisite Homes Limited who told us that the company had been in negotiations with Geest Industries over the land in question since December 2013. “We signed a sale agreement with Geest to purchase the property in Belair for $1.5 million. We made a deposit of $200,000 and then commenced the infrastructural designs for 229 houses at that point in time, a commercial centre and a recreational park. After a long and arduous process, last year the change of land use was approved from agricultural to residential . . . We made a $500,000 deposit and were preparing to commence works.”
Since the government’s June 16 acquisition of the land in question, Exquisite Homes Limited claims that it has not yet been reimbursed for its deposits. The STAR has, on numerous occasions, tried to get a statement from Ministry of Planning officials on this matter, all to no avail.
