Carifesta hotel project: Lands and Surveys details why City doesn’t own lands

Transport number 337 of 1887.

In terms of the Carifesta Avenue area the Government of British Guiana and subsequently Guyana surveyed and gave out leases north of Kelly’s dam to organizations  such as East Indian Cricket Club now Everest (6.17 acres), B.G Boy Scout, next to Everest, Teachers Training Centre, Cable and Wireless (GTT now) Youth Council (later NIS obtained a lease), Saint Stanislaus College and on the Southern side to Demerara or Georgetown Golf Club (now National Park), , , Rifle range (now Camp Ayangana), YMCA, Catholic Youth Club (now Marian Academy). Queens College, Cosmos Sports Club (now GMRC) Maltenoes Sports Club, Transport Sports Club, Post Office Cricket Club (now PSU). This is as far back as 1930’s and 40’s and covers the entire 240.5 acres. Many of these leases expired and were re-issued to the original lessees or new ones where the entities did not exist anymore.

The GLSC continued to issue leases in the area and is currently processing GMRC and Maltenoes. These lands along Carifesta Avenue exceeds 43 acres and cannot be misinterpreted to that held under Transport 337/1887. In fact, the Northern side has about 45 to 50 acres. Save and except for a lease for a dam (Wireless dam, near GTT) there is absolutely no record of a survey or lease issued to anyone by the City Council for any area along Carifesta Avenue. GLSC choose to ignore that because we felt that they control dams and such reserves.

In order to account for the Council’s lands, we are providing a list of surveys registered at GLSC by various surveyors who refer to the lands held by the Council, many done at the request of them, all in the Woolford Avenue area, some of these leases are annotated on the Council’s Transport. Most of these also calls out the Transport number 337 of 1887.

Even though this transport is very old there are Noticeable annotations as follows:

  1. Public Acquisition from M&CC for Government Technical Institute, 459 acs. on a Plan by R.L Wong, which when checked was acquired by Order 27/1951.
  2. Lease by M&CC to Portuguese Club (Later called Non Pariel Park Tennis Court) in 1931- 09 acres.
  3. Lease by M&CC to Indian Education Trust College No 347/1960 for 99 years-479 Acres. Now Richard Ishmael Secondary and North Georgetown Primary.
  4. Lease by M&CC for Central High School, later shared by Critchlow Labour College and Tutorial High. 1.96 acs. and 2.088 acs.
  5. M&CC to BG Teachers Association (now GTU) -2.436 Acs
  6. BG Boy Scout from M&CC -3.525 Acs
  7. Sprostons Sports Club (now GNEC) -3.539 Acs
  8. M&CC to Muslim Youth Organisation (May now be CIOG)- 2.582 Acs
  9. M&CC to Labour College- 1.361 Acs This seems to be GITC based on the date.
  10. St Joseph High School and Stella Maris- 5.88 Acs, Surveyed for Mayor and City Council.
  11. GYO 2.2 Acres
  12. An area between GYO and North Georgetown 1.8Acs

All surveys executed on behalf of the M&CC has been in the same area between Camp Street and Vlissengen Road and from the southern boundaries of Queens College to Cummings canal. The surveys all refer to Transport no 337 of 1887.

The Council only has 43 acres and most of this has been basically accounted for through the above surveys. A very large reserve as much as 70 feet and 44 feet) for Cummings Canal was left in most of the surveys.

The Table below provides some details of these surveys:

Organization/Lessee Plot number Plan number/surveyor Area
GTI Acquired by Govt vide Order 27/1951 5678 by R.L. Wong 2.459 Acs
Non-pariel Park Tennis Club, Formerly Portuguese Club. Lot A 11057 by R. Jaggernauth 3.071 Acs
B.G Teachers (now GTU) Lot B  

2.436 Acs
B.G Boy Scouts Lot C           “ 3.525 Acs
Sprostons Sports Club, now GNEC Lot D           “ 3.539 Acs.
Indian Education Trust College, Now divided between Richard Ishmael Secondary and North Georgetown Primary Land Marked “A” in red. 5915 by SSM Insanally 4.548 Acs
Central High School

Now divided between:

 

a.      Critchlow Labour College

b.     Tutorial High School

“Tract of Land for Central High School”

 

Lot X and Y

 

 

Lot Z

 

8921 by R.M Wong

 

 

12990 by JE Rutherford

 

33352 by O.Singh (done for Town Clerk and Min of Education)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total 4.548 Acs

Muslim Youth Organization Sports Ground now CIOG Area A 15923 by IS Mohamed 2.582 Acs
GITC Tract of Land Surveyed for M&CC, Min of Labour and American Institute of Labour Development 12061 by C.S Spence 1.361 Acs
Ghandi Youth Organization No record found   Approx 2.2 Acs
Stella Maris and St Joseph High Portion of Pln. Thomas 8036 by RB Craigh 5.88 Acs
Cummings Canal reserve Deduced from surveys   Approx 7 Acs
Total Area surveyed     43.149 more or less
       

 

 NOTE: North Georgetown seems to be on the Caetano Land and not part of Transport 337 of 1887 as such it was not included. These lands were acquired by Government for the construction of Irving Street.

The approximate area obtained for the various properties as well as Cummings Canal reserve basically covers the entire Council property as described in the Transport number 337 of 1887. Instead of a North Canal mentioned in Luke Hill’s plan the route seems to have been changed to rebuild Cummings Canal and fill the North Canal shown on that plan.

We hope that this information brings to an end all the claims and threats made against the Government and we are quite prepared to defend the Transport and lands held by the Government.

The respective Plan Numbers are included for anyone to check at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission Head Office.