Administration claims all Dunbars lands are already sold, while Tabor asks who the buyers are

The United Progressive Party (UPP) is curious to find out to whom
the lands at Dunbars have been sold.
 
The Browne Administration announced this week, through the
Ministry of Housing, that all the lands at the former agriculture and
research station have been taken up.
 
Those lands were graded in preparation for a housing development
in late December last year (2023), destroying root crops and
coconut palms in the process.
 
Now, Damani Tabor, the UPP public relations officer, is asking
whether persons who already own lands have been able to purchase
more at the Dunbars site.
 
The manner in which the Browne Administration is going about land
distribution requires more transparency, Tabor says.

 
He notes that the Government is claiming that agriculture
allotments are being used for housing because land is a scarce
commodity in Antigua and Barbuda. However, the UPP officer is
asking how this can be proven when the public does not have access
to proper land data.

The Administration had promised to digitize all government
ministries and departments, but has failed to do so, Tabor points
out.
 

 

To enable residents to search the registry and determine whether
lands are available and in which locations, Tabor says that Antigua
and Barbuda needs to be brought up to international standards.
In this modern era, he complains, we are lagging far behind.
 

 
Damani Tabor, UPP public relations officer.
 
Critics have said the Dunbars site was perfect for research into
various crops since that location has more than seven soil types,
and it was also used by other islands for agricultural research.
Accordingly, they say the Administration should have sited the
planned housing scheme elsewhere and not compromised food
security.