Dart in junkyard dispute
Entrance to the junkyard on Crewe Road, George Town (Photos by Sandra Hill)
(CNS): The emergence of an unsightly car junkyard on Crew Road in George Town has caused some concern on social media and the Cayman Islands’ largest developer and landowner, Dart Realty (Cayman) has confirmed that the company owns the land and is now in a legal dispute with the tenant. The planning department has also issued enforcement notices to the owner of the scrap business at the site but the orders have been ignored.
Local activist Sandra Hill raised the question on her Facebook page this weekend about how the property had been allowed to deteriorate into such an unsightly mess, and found many people were as concerned as she was.
CNS contacted Dart on Monday after it was confirmed that the group owned the plot of land, which was said to have been acquired as part of the deal when the group purchased a chain of local liquor stores. A spokesperson for the company said that they were currently in a legal dispute with the tenant.
“The property on Crewe Road next to Jose’s is owned by Dart and leased by Automotive Services. The lessor has been asked multiple times to clean up the site and have it not only comply with the terms of the lease, but also the Central Planning Authority enforcement notices and local laws such as public health. The lessor has not cooperated for more than a year, and the matter is now before the courts,” the spokesperson stated.
Junkyard on Crewe Road, George Town
Automotive Services was reportedly moved from a site on Dump Road before the owner took up the lease with Dart around two years ago. The concern now is that the junkyard is even more visible and, given its proximity to the airport, it’s going to be one of the first things that visitors heading east will see.
“This location has been an eyesore for quite some time and continues to expand and engulf that entire area. It’s so incredibly unsightly for such a location that I could not help but pose the question on social media, was anyone else disgusted by this dump?” Hill told CNS Monday.
“Through my research I discovered that this same business owner was asked to actually move from another location by the dump and this is where he settled. I was disappointed to hear that Dart owned the land but figured there was much more to the story than just that. The Dart organization has a reputation for doing things to a certain standard and this meets absolutely none. Not only is it an eyesore but I can see it’s an environmental wasteland, with oil all over the premises. I hope that this highlights the need for greater planning enforcement that actually has teeth to it,” she added.
It appears the dispute between the tenant and Dart has gone on for some time as the storage of the wrecked cars is in contravention of the lease. But CNS understands the case is expected to go before a judge later this month.
Category: development, Local News
There is another (economic) side to this story. As someone who could never afford to buy a new or even recent model used car, I rely upon these sources to stay on the road. I also assist many other low income people with their car repairs (FREE) using parts from these sources. Often the cost is 50-85% less than the much inflated cost of parts from dealers on island. As long as there are lower income people needing cheap transportation, these businesses will flourish. Why not set aside an area out of mainstream public sight so that those of us who rely upon such businesses can get what we need without public outcry over unsightliness?
I have kept my vehicles running for decades for the last 50 years, almost exclusively with salvaged parts and will continue to do so until I can no longer wield a wrench! The need is obvious, so find a solution! Not all of us can afford (nor would even want to) a high-end luxury car that loses 90% of its value in only a few short years. I drive a 20+ year-old car that has been scrupulously maintained and gets me from point A to point B anytime I need to go.
what about the crap behind the homes of the people running their mouths the most
and the broken cars in their front yards
Control the liquor; control the liquored.
Do everyone wants to see these disgraceful junk yards cleaned up ?
Then go to a television station and CNS with a real good environmental story on how these junk yards are so disgraceful for the Islands , and a environmental Hazzard and it’s our sevic duty as citizens of the Islands the place where we live is kept clean and safe .
then they should go with you to these sites and documentation will be done and the places would be cleaned up .
You should give the owners 60 days written notice to have the place cleaned because of the above reasons, and your actions that the group would be taken .
I did this alone to a big developer with a smaller junk yard and used oil by the water , gave him notice of 24 hours , but he replied I couldn’t tell him what to do , but I was there in 23 hours an 45. Min with the TV crew and we started shooting the junk , and me telling the story , then within one hour the place was cleaned up by him . I was told by DEH that it would them a long time for them to get him clean it up .
Of course it would take the DEH a long time to clean it up. They get paid by the hour, but first they have to work.
It is true all the recyclers on the island except a select few are being run out of business
Govt only wants a solution that costs the taxpayer big $$$$
This is the 4 location that you bad minded people have run this man from he should just quit and fire all of the locals that get work from him
FYI The used car lot across Shamrock Road from the Red Bay Brown’s Esso is on land owned by the CIG! Go figure!
Can he not just move it to Bodden Town? Place is a dump already anyhow.
How about your backyard?
What I find curious is how the ministers who are responsible for the various Gov Depts who should be dealing with this sort of stuff, or the MLAs who have responsibility for aiding the maintenance of their district can drive by this sort of thing on a daily basis without ever wondering how come nothing has been done about it and get the ball rolling….
10:52, Elections are coming up, they are waiting to use that as the launch of their “idea” on how to tackle this problem.
Look no further than the NRA graveyard (spray paint over your logos all you want) across from PPM headquarters just a little East on Crewe Road. What’s good for the goose is good for the yaddie.
I find it applauding that government continues to not enforced the laws of the Islands . Could it be possible just because they think that money and friends is everything to them and they don’t want to hurt any business person , and they know that the people would except anything that they do and sweep under the rug .
Could it be time that the people start showing the government that when laws are made and must be enforced regardless of who are in violations of the law’s . I think that when government can see that the people aren’t going to put up with the disrespectful conduct of none enforcement of laws , Cayman Islands would be a better to live.
I think that people should go in front of this disgraceful eye sore junk yard and protest against the government not enforcement of laws on television, Facebook , and go viral .
The dump is an eyesore when looking from Camana Bay…
Now a Dart owned property is an eyesore in a prime area of Crewe Road…
Revenge is best served warm…
I think you should have said “Revenge is best served with a view”
What I am curious about is why was he run from DUMP road which seems like a more appropriate location for a dump yard.
Next, as a poster has already stated, why has planning or some other department not just go in there and shut him down. If he is violating DEH and CPA laws it seems his license should be revoked and his business shut down IMMEDIATELY without any delay since, as the story goes, this is ongoing for a year plus.
I am curious as to the wording he has on his business license and his contract with DART as to what he would be doing on that property. The reason I ask is because I am baffled how they could let someone break they laws for 1 year without moving in to close him down. My only guess is they may have messed up some in the contract and the licensing department.
Anyways what ever you guys going to do JUST DO IT. Stop muddling around with it and JUST ACT. People are going to say HE MUST KNOW SOMEONE CAUSE IF IT WAS ME LONG TIME THEY CLOSE ME DOWN. Just do something already.
And as for other infrigements of laws…How about cars for sale? I still see cars on Bobby Thompson Way and other locations like across from Brown’s Red Bay On the Run Esso. Why is their no enforcement?
This is happening all over the the three islands, the laws if you can call them that! are not enforced, there is a area in west end Cayman Brac, close to Billy’s Shop that has at least thirty or more rotting cars, washers, old fridges, containers of old oil, or diesel, scrap metal, old batteries, insulation, you name it, it is there decaying, and he is smack in-between neighbors with children and the elderly. Why are these people allowed to stockpile such garbage with no regard to others around, especially children. As all Bracer’s know this eye sore has been there for decades, and the tourist see it going up or down on the north side of West End, so it is time for this property owner to do the same as the rest, clean up or be fined. This particular alleged land owner, has used old vehicles, old washers, and fridges to block a right of way that was there before he was born, now all this stuff is slowly rusting, and we know all about Freon, led, oil, etc, Mr Mose Kirkernell, please see to it that all these properties in the Brac are cleaned up, cant imagine having to live next to such a place
You can’t seriously expect any Gov Dept to show own initiative to enforce anything!! It always takes a citizen to file a complaint and then follow up for months with the various depts. to the point of where it seems less painful to slam your own head into a brick wall every day. Eventually, if you are lucky, one of the ministers will send a nice lil e-mail to the respective Gov Dept and then you get some traction for a day or so.
BUT, clearly, the majority of people in Cayman don’t care cause they seem to let Government get a way with this sort of non action. Civil Servants are running this country my friend!
They have a similar situation in North Side where someone runs a garage on their property but uses the property across from them to “store” junk cars, parts etc. Cars already had been removed by DOEH and the garage owner has been spoken to, yet the mess continues.
Travel a bit further down the road across and you find more “junk” parked across the road from a certain bar where they even set up some lazy chairs at some point so the junk can be more comfortable when parked!!!
Yet, nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. Loitering, littering…..just another day where MLAs cross by with eyes wide shut!
I find it disturbing that the owner of this junk yard cannot accept the facts and see that this is a disgraceful eye sore , but I wonder who are the owner, must be someone with power or lots of money to be holding Mr Dart for so long .
That’s an inappropriate location for that type of business. Why can the business license division with their new enforcement powers shut him down for non-compliance with planning? Seems planning have no authority to enforce anything at all.
Planning will not care. After all, these same people approved the lunatic construction of a heavy industrial vehicle licensing facility smack bang in the heart of a residential & tourist neighbourhood at Breakers.
Enforcement powers? What a joke!! Got to give them credit for the new shiny badges though.
This Government is failing left right and center (and just to be clear, so did the last one).
All talk, no action. Laws which are not enforced or don’t have any teeth and anything not to offend voters.
People wonder why Trump is so popular in the US at the moment. Clearly Americans got fed up with the same old career politicians who are all just talk and no action as they had to sit back term after term watching their country deteriorate.
What is the reason that laws are not enforced here and that we are sitting back allowing to watch our country go to the dogs, being trashed out left right and center????
Part of the reason there is little enforcement, is that some departments have the responsibility, but not the legal authority. I suspect that’s the case with Central Planning. It appears to be the case with the DEH. I myself have written several letters, filed complaints over a neighbor’s pile of broken trees. It’s not that the DEH doesn’t support the validity of the complaint, it is that they appear to not posess the legal teeth to enforce an abatement order.
While we’re on the subject and in case no one else has noticed, junk vehicles have a piled up again at the entrance of Palm Dale Ave, by Crewe Road. There was a court order a few years ago for whoever owns the land to clean it up and a penalty was accruing for each day that the junk stayed there. Now they are back at it.
We might as well address all the eye sores and property devaluers now.
Please start on Prospect Drive, we have an appliance junk yard. A marina running out of a house next to a boat launch. Several fishing vessels on empty lots with portable toilets on them. A business running wave runner tours, also with a portable toilet on site.
GET RID OF THEM FFS!
Wow! Not saying that a junkyard is not unsightly (duh), but the tenant leased the property for that purpose. What did the landlord and planning officials, etc. expect? Seems like Government has a h**d-on for this business owner. They’re chasing him from every place he tries to operate his junkyard.
This begs the questions – where is DOE in all this? Why have they not taken action so far? Why should the public be leading the charge? That is what DOE is mandated/paid to do! This operator has a well known track record. What is going on here?
CNS: You mean the Department of Environmental Health (DEH), not the Department of Environment (DOE).
No surprise. This island is littered with these auto scrap yards. It’s quite disgusting and further evidence that the DOE can’t be bothered to enforce its own laws
CNS: You mean the Department of Environmental Health (DEH), not the Department of Environment (DOE). See here: DOE vs DEH – Do you know the difference?
We do have code enforcement!!!! Now let us see the teeth! (Also what happened to the correspondence that is to be sent to all nearby property and business owners? So that any objections can be noted before licensing is granted?)