George Town cop shop up for sale
George Town Police Station
(CNS): Cabinet has made a decision to sell the central police station in George Town and use the cash to build a new station, which will also include a courthouse, in Lyndhurst Avenue off Crew Road. Premier Alden McLaughlin revealed the plans to put the property up for sale via public tender during his State of the Nation address last week at a business conference. He said the station was on prime real estate in George Town and the money raised would be used for the construction of a new facility on government land at Half-way Pond.
“The Ministry of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure is now working toward a Request for Proposal for this sale,” McLaughlin told the audience at last week’s Fidelity CEO conference at the Ritz Carlton.
“The current station will continue to be used while the new facility is under development. The property at Half-way Pond is also large enough to accommodate a new courts facility and a steering committee has been established by the ministry and Judicial Services to develop a strategic business analysis for the project,” he added.
The decision to sell was another way of assisting the RCIPS, the country’s leader stated, as he raised the issue of the current spike in crime. The police station is not in the best of conditions and the cells there have long been condemned after various assessments and inspections. However, located at the end of Elgin Avenue and not far from the downtown area, the station is located on a valuable piece of land, though the premier did not state how much the site is worth.
The premier said his government considered crime reduction as a high priority and was committed to continuing to work with law enforcement to reduce all crime while examining ways to reduce recidivism.
“We understand that the safety of a jurisdiction is one of the things that potential investors and visitors explore,” he said. “As we all know, crime has once again spiked and the RCIPS has assured us that its staff is working diligently to find solutions.”
The premier stated that some crimes are linked with unemployment and the Progressive administration was committed to help create job opportunities and provide programmes that assist individuals in finding employment.
He said that both employment and the economy will also be assisted by several needed national infrastructure projects that are now underway and will help Cayman compete regionally and globally.
“These include, in part, airport improvements on all three Islands, creation of cruise berthing in George Town, a solid waste management project, the revitalisation of the capital and an expansion of the Linford Pierson Highway as well as other road works that are part of the overall George Town Revitalisation plan,” he stated.
Their heads still in a hole! It would do Government well to create some public parking in Central GT. The Police Station site would be ideal.
Of course Govt is broke, thanks to PPM, so they need every dollar, so sell it is!
How about this buy Piccadilly place or the new building next door, keep present parking and storage saves up a lot grief and cost overruns and kills Dubious political deals and would save us alot of money! According to the Grand wizard Alden 555 million dollars surplus, exactly where does he get his figures from ??????
Let me spell it out for u our agenda should be including you to put a stop to our rinky dinky government. Infact successive rinky dinky politicians including the current premier from wasting our money on rinky dink political patronage projects for friends and business buddies to further their rinky dink political legacy thereby putting our future and that of our children in serious jeopardy. How that?
Sounds like you are the one with an agenda
Why not tear down the condemned glass house that is sitting useless in a prime location, right next to the existing police station? They could complete the new police station in stages and would make for a smoother transition. Then tear down the existing police station and create a branch of existing courthouse (I assume they plan on continue using the old courthouse).
I just don’t understand the reasoning for moving it into a well established caymanian neighbourhood which is obviously zoned as a residential area.
In regards to the road situation, we should be cutting the amount of cars brought to this island, not accommodating them. We need to be making a push to become self sustainable, not following the death path of infinite growth and fossil fuel dependency.
who you wuking 4??? You buy the 2 parcels combine them you will have a central location with the Hospital on the south Immigration Dept and Goab & Major Law firms & banks to the North & East “lots of Govt parking” one central location!! common sense but of course that doesn’t fit your agenda does it?? Taking the Courts office & Central police Station out of town to some remote residential plot with two of the worst accident prune road junctions on this island is just crazeee! and wreaks of political brinkmanship. The lack of of forward planning and consideration and concerns is totally absent in this decision. Considering the source and seeing his advisers cant say i am surprised! Here a little thought for u the police can’t get to bank robberies now in central George Town. How the friggin hell they going to get there from Crewe Road????
It is said when you throw a stone in a pen the first to squeal is usual those who have the most to loose or causing the problem. Oh but 3:39pm and 3:37pm you are standing too close to one another and the truth will always get a response!!! The hospital site simply makes good sense!!! That’s what the poster is trying to suggest.
Don’t flatter yourself. There isn’t enough space on the site by the hospital. Isn’t that space actually leased anyway?
One can see the need to move the cop-shop (it is cramped, ugly and reminiscent of something out of Fajullah) and like its inhabitants, need to be kept away from children and little old ladies, but the decision to move the courts out of George Town Central is asinine- this is the last function of the business district that brings business to Town. Kill this off by moving it out to some remote location, and Town will finally, and unfortunately, die. How sad…
Leave town for the cruiseship people. I had to go to town today and it was a nightmare trying to get parked and tourists walking in front mf my car. Its even worse when there is a big court in session.
Simply put – there is no other space in central George Town and certainly not land government already owns.
Why Not move to the site on Hospital Road next to hospital government already owns that land. I smell a really bad odor and some PPM political favor being sanctioned yet again, If that’s the case why don’t they build near Camana Bay then. The Hospital site simple makes more sense. They could buy the building next door too and make that even work for all but that would make sense and God forbid we cut some PPM benefactor out of his Big construction $$$$$$ Money deal.
Government already owns that land where the new site will be. Talk what you know.
Er…Shouldn’t that site be reserved for hospital expansion?
My friend in the states wont make an offer on this because of the way the govt. flip flopped on the new government building a few years ago.
He cant be bothered informing his investors of this property and his investors have deeper pockets than darts
Selling the BRAND NEW PURPOSE BUILT GOAB was a BAD idea and bad business for the government. Selling this old building set on prime real estate is good business. Thanks PPM.
Good going. It’s long overdue to replace facilities for both those departments. Once again, PPM addresses the capital development needs of the country.