Old courthouse, printery and CDC buildings…PM Chastanet outlines demolition plans

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet says that as his administration proceeds with the redevelopment of Castries, they are looking to build a new parliament building and high court. In an interview with his attache Norbert Williams on May 29, Chastanet was asked what type of courts the proposed Halls of Justice in Castries would include. (Last month the government controversially demolished the old Royal Gaol prison to pave the way for the facility, which will also include a new police headquarters.)

Said the prime minister: “There will be three courts for the criminal and three courts for the magistrates. And we are as you know in the process of demolishing the old courthouse and the printery. And also at some point, we’re going to be looking at the CDC buildings. Those buildings, particularly the ones on Jeremie Street, are a significant danger to everybody else. If a strong earthquake comes, it will be a disaster.”

He continued: “So in the redevelopment of Castries, we’re looking to put a new parliament building and also a new high court. We already have a very good family court, I believe that that’s going to stay. The ministry of education building and now that Voyager has burnt down, there’s an opportunity also to redevelop something quite significant in that location.”

The prime minister noted that the idea of redeveloping Castries is not new and multiple administrations have spoken about it. He said that when he made his demoltion pronouncement over a year ago, there was an uproar and government went back to the community for “complete and extensive dialogue.”

He lauded the printery staff for the incredible job that they have done during the COVID-19 period. However, “we have a very clear vision for what we want for the printery. It’s not what they’ve traditionally done but it’s in terms of making a bigger contribution to government. But they don’t need to be in that building.” Chastanet said that the enhancement of the Castries Market also plays a part in the city’s redevelopment, and he was excited to see the enthusiasm of vendors. The next phases of the market, he said, are coming soon.

The prime minister first mentioned plans to demolish the printery, parliament and old courthouse at a press conference in August 2018. He revealed then that the goal was to keep the area as an open space and to develop it as a park. Chastanet said that Castries was grossly underachieving its potential and that a great city is one that can change with the times. “We can look around the city and know that we’ve not been doing the right thing. No one can walk through the streets of Castries and not realize we need change,” the prime minister said in 2018.