Weak public consultation approach draws questions about plans to ‘revitalise’ beloved Trinidad park · Global Voices
Screenshot of Nelson Mandela Park in Port of Spain, Trinidad, taken from Google Earth.
Over the past few weeks, the Trinidad and Tobago Society of Planners (TTSP) and the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects (TTIA) have been drawing public attention to the government's urban revitalisation plans for major cities in the context of the lip service both bodies maintain the state is paying to public consultation—issues that are now coming to the fore via the Port of Spain City Corporation’s proposal to “revitalise” Nelson Mandela Park (formerly called King George V Park), a green space listed on the country's Heritage Asset Register as a historic site deemed worthy of preservation.
Residents of Trinidad's capital city are both confused and distraught over the Corporation's plans, which allegedly include replacing the existent grass with 3G AstroTurf, so that the site could, according to Port of Spain mayor <PERSON>, utilise its potential as “a public wellness and sports hub in the heart of our capital city.” He said that the park was currently under-utilised and that the improvements would allow the City Corporation to “generate additional revenue.” However, sporting and other recreational activities have been limited because of different lockdown restrictions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is said to be a public-private partnership initiative, but the proposal document is not publicly available, although a Tender Notice for “upgrade works to playing field at Nelson Mandela Park for the Port of Spain Corporation” is listed on the website of the Ministry of Finance. Although the notice is dated July 28, 2017, the virtual consultation was only held on July 26, 2021, leaving citizens just six days to submit their views on a proposal they cannot publicly access. Actions like this, according to the joint TTSP and TTIA articles, contribute to the process being “undemocratic,” “deficient,” and demonstrating “a lack of transparency and decision-making in the interests of the public.”
Twitter user <PERSON> agreed:
Tell me that it is #FakeNews the threat of building a sport facility on our #greenspace #MandelaPark! The Oval, the Savannah, and Stadium are minutes away from here. That would be an absolute waste of taxpayers’ money. 957
So, say it isn’t so ?? <PERSON>— <PERSON> (@Panyol) July 29, 2021
<PERSON> is the country's prime minister.
Although the Corporation has facilitated what it calls a “public consultation” on the matter, activist <PERSON> also called its transparency into question:
I am somehow unable to find any details of this 18-page proposal to AstroTurf the Nelson Mandela Park on either the POS City Corporation's FB page or its website, perhaps someone forgot to post it?
Apparently, we have until Sunday 1st August 2021 to make comments, irony is always such a strong part of history, you see?
On August 1, Trinidad and Tobago, the first country in the world to declare the date a national holiday, celebrates Emancipation Day.
On Facebook, <PERSON> took up the mantle, asking:
Does anyone have any details of the 18-page proposal to AstroTurf the Nelson Mandela Park? It is not on either the POS City Corporation's FB page or its website.
Apparently we have until Sunday 1st August 2021 to make comments!
We cannot allow this to happen. Trinidad has enough unused and under maintained sports facilities already.
Former Port of Spain mayor <PERSON>, who was instrumental in getting the park up to its current state during his tenure, has been quite outspoken against the proposal, calling it “a waste of resources”—a position which many social media users have echoed. In an interview with the Trinidad Express, <PERSON> added that any public consultation should have included representatives from the country's Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA):
These are the agencies people want to hear from. There are so many questions for them to be pushing this nonsense about this AstroTurf. If you go up to Marvin Lee Stadium, the AstroTurf is in a mess, so why are we going to dig up the grass that has worked for us for hundreds of years […]? If it is a park then it should remain as a park with trees and grass and benches and play surfaces for everyone to participate and enjoy.
Another concern of <PERSON> is that, by changing the park into a recreation facility—Mayor <PERSON> has reportedly suggested that anyone wanting to use the site must make online bookings—it will de-democratise access. 957