(Trinidad Express) The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is set to em-bark on several key development projects as it pushes ahead with its Revitali-sation of Port of Spain Project, which is being executed by Urban Deve-lopment Company of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) in conjunction with the Ministry of Planning and Develop-ment.
Listed among the projects to be undertaken are:
1. Memorial Plaza Development – Development of the UDeCOTT-owned property located at Keate Street and south of Memorial Block to house a Mixed-Use Complex inclusive of residential, commercial, office, parking and recreational spaces.
2. Development of the Salvatori Site – This project is in the planning stage of development.
3. Piccadilly Street Development – This project is before the Cabinet for approval for UDeCOTT to proceed with an RFP and determination of the funding source.
4. PowerGen Site Deve-lopment – -Development of the stated-owned, former site of the Power Genera-tion Company located at Wrightson Road.
5. City Gate Develop-ment – A concept is to be developed for the revitalization of City Gate.
6. Foreshore Green space – This project would include the expansion of green areas involving land reclamation at the Fore-shore at Mucurap0o.
These projects represent the major one highlighted in a master plan that was submitted to UDeCOTT on February 10, and are proposed to be executed using public private partnership arrangements.
Some of the projects that are on-going and substantially completed is the restoration and upgrade of the country’s historical architectural treasures such as The Red House, which houses the Parliament of the Republic, Killarney (Stollmeyer’s Castle), Whitehall (Prime Minister’s Office), Mille Fleur (National Trust), Queen’s Royal College, and President House.
Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture was relocated from Queen’s Park West to Chaguanas, allowing for the renovation and upgrade of the premises adjacent to Wildflower Park, which today houses the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs in elegant accessible surroundings.
In a feature address titled Spotlight on Urban Development-Revitalisation of Port of Spain on Monday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said for decades the City of Port of Spain has been experiencing considerable urban decay.
He said this condition manifested itself in a myriad of challenges such as reduced private sector investment, depopulation, abandonment and decrepit infrastructure, unemployment, destitution and high levels of crime.
