A resident of Dangriga is concerned that the street near his home has been sold, essentially obstructing access to his home and that of his neighbours. Richard Webster explained to our newsroom that a couple has been requesting to buy a parcel of land in the area behind the hospital for some years, and that they were reportedly recently approved. However, rather than taking the initial parcel of land they requested, they acquired the entire lot, street and all on March 4. Webster said that he was unaware of this until he attempted to access his land but realised that the street was blocked. Now, Webster is asking the owner, Arthur Usher, to show the title of the land that includes the street before he takes the matter to the Lands Department.
Richard Webster - Concerned resident "My issues here is that it was designed for a drain. Now in 2019 December the 20th, I had spoken to my dad in reference to where my property was because I needed to get it clean at the moment and I realised that I needed to get access to the property from one side of the street, not knowing. Now that the person who were operating the trucks then came to me making my awareness that this street property has been taken and I said but that's a street, dude, how can that be possible? So he said well that is what he got an official call from the Ministry of Works And I said, well this is what I think if they owned the property then let them show their hand, we need to see the title for the property then we can discuss this. Unfortunately, they never showed their hand not knowing they had already surveyed this property, and all of this has been done from 2000. On October 5 2020, I was then approached by the said Mr Usher because I was then taking pictures now that this peg actually exist. He came to me and he said well Mr Webster I want you to know that I now own this property and I don't see what is the problem, why you are taking pictures of the property? So I said I need to go to government now and do my research and find out how all of this happen that you could have took the time out to buy the street and he said this was not a street this was only a vacant land and I said do you think that government would have leave a parcel of strip without something to do with it from back then, you really think so? And he was like, oh yes well, the land was available, so I took it."
We reached out to Arthur Usher, who refrained from making a comment other than insisting that there is no street, only a plot of land. He did mention, however, that he was willing to take the matter to court.
