The Destruction of Dillsbury - Building Boom is Environmental Doom!

Dillsbury Avenue was one of my favorite Avenues to walk on. Apart from the fact that it provided quick access to Millsbrough Avenue, it was always a scenic and pleasant road to be on. That was because most of the single-family homes on Dillsbury were uniquely designed and sat on very large, green, and well fruited land spaces.

I remember one of those yards also had horses grazing in the front. There were times during my morning walks, I would see mongoose and various wildlife’s running across the streets or in people’s yard. Dillsbury was a green Avenue full of nature with a thriving ecological system.

Today, my Dillsbury Avenue is no more, destroyed in the name of simple minded, one-dimensional and generic, so-called progress due to greed. The ecological system wiped out, where nature and green spaces are removed and replaced by so-suh concrete. Dillsbury Avenue is now overpopulated and congested with back-to-back multi-family Gated Community Compounds and continues to suffer from never ending construction.

When it rains the water is no longer absorbed but instead floods out of these concrete complexes and rushes through the streets with more force than Dunns River Falls.

A full scale invasion is now taking place on Millsbrough Avenue as the Scorched earth war on the environment intensifies.

But our Simpleminded Leader, who knows the price of everything and the true value of nothing, considers this to be progress. It is not entirely his fault, he is just a product of his environment, upbringing and generation. If the water in the well is dirty, then every bucket of water taken from that well will also be dirty. And as my Granny use to say, “water always find its own level”.

MILLSBOROUGH AVENUE

Kingston 6, Kingston & St. Andrew

What happened and is happening on Dillsbury is unfortunately happening all across the corporate area and Jamaica. We declared War on the environment and the natural world. The "Concretification" and "Bhutufication" of Jamaica is in progress and being televised. What is amazing, is that a lot of us see it as progress but yes, water always find its own level. If this is what the first world is doing, then it must be progress. All that says about us is that we lack imagination, innovation and an understanding of our own unique reality. This is a one size fits all concept of progress, trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and as we all know, dog and puss nuh have the same luck. We will suffer for it.

Like most countries, Jamaica has lots of laws, policies, and protocols but unlike most countries grease palm Jamaica do not really follow or enforce any of them. Having laws means nothing if we are not prepared to enforce these laws. Jamaica has lots of laws, policies, and protocols governing how we build but our developers know they do not need to follow any because our Government do not enforce any laws. Law in Jamaica is an opportunity to extract profits by the people entrusted to uphold those laws. With the lack of enforcements our greedy developers have become mafia types, doing what they want, when and how they want to, no matter the cost.

These criminal developers are now threatening and harassing people into selling their properties and all our Government do, is look the other way for a profit. Building permits listing guidelines are almost never followed because developers are now a power onto themselves. Facilitated by corrupt politicians and a people too stupid to see the destruction they are unleashing on themselves.

Dillsbury Avenue Is A Total Wreck

Published:Tuesday | April 14, 2015 | 4:00 AM

THE EDITOR, Sir:

It's a shame and disgrace that local authorities have continued to ignore the appallingly deplorable condition of Dillsbury Avenue. Dillsbury Avenue connects Jacks Hill Road and Millsborough Avenue, and is heavily traversed by a wide range of citizens, sometimes using it as a shortcut to avoid the Barbican Road traffic.

Dillsbury Avenue is home to almost a dozen townhouse complexes. With the construction of the last two over the past year, the destruction of the road has come to a head. Running water from National Water Company construction, and building materials such as aggregate, dirt and rubble that are left on the roadway for months, continue to impede traffic and further destroy the road.

Heavy construction equipment and trucks carrying construction materials further fatigues and breaks away the surface. While the parties responsible for construction have promised to fix the roads once they have completed their works, the road remains unfixed.

The potholes they created continue to widen, and have become so big and deep that it is not uncommon to burst a tyre or damage the front end of your car.

It is not all of us who drive SUVs, and it is becoming unbearable to use either end of the road.

We are calling for the National Works Agency, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation and other relevant authorities to come to our rescue.

HAZEL NANGLE

Kingston 6

Politician love to talk the talk but never walk the walk. Political Mouthpiece for effect ONLY! In opposition they jump around like circus clowns, claiming how they can move mountains but when they become the Government , they do NOT a DAMN thing. In fact since this lot became the Government they have stepped up the war on Greenspace and the Environment by handing out more building permits than ever before. It is not like the members of the political class do not know the war is in progress because they do and love to pay lip service to it on the campaign trail. Hypocrites the lot.

In Opposition DELROY CHUCK is outraged at the destruction. So much so, that he wrote a public letter to the then Mayor of Kingston. In Government Delroy Chuck, See no evil and hear no evil.

People's Report: Save Kingston 6 From Hodgepodge Construction
Published:Saturday | May 2, 2015 | 5:00 AM
This is an open letter to Kingston Mayor Angela Brown-Burke.

Over the past 10 years or more, numerous residential developments have caused gross and egregious inconvenience to residents of my constituency. The residents are bombarded with heavy-duty equipment, unwholesome noise levels, and damaged and eroded residential roads.

Let me state very clearly that I strongly favour development, especially attractive developments that preserve and/or improve the character of the neighbourhood. However, the concerns and complaints of the residents cannot be ignored.

I bring to your attention three areas in which apartment developments in Kingston 6 have damaged the residential roads and caused unspeakable dislocation and nuisance to residents:

1. Washington Drive, Drumblair;

2. Dillsbury Avenue, off Millsborough Avenue;

3. Halifax Avenue, off East Kings House Road; and there are others.

I strongly urge that the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), which you chair, properly supervise the developments to ensure that:

(a) Heavy-duty construction is only performed during normal working hours;

(b) The roads are maintained during construction;

(c) Dust and noise nuisance is avoided;

(d) The adjoining roads to the developments are returned to a satisfactory condition and a National Works Agency certification obtained before certificates of title are issued.

These conditions, inter alia, should be normal obligations of developers. Yet, if the roads such as Dillsbury Avenue, Washington Drive, Halifax Avenue and many others are examined, developers damage them, make their profits, and move on. Surely, the KSAC is failing in its duty to impose and supervise these basic conditions on developers.

DELROY CHUCK

MP, North East St Andrew

The Destruction of Jacks Hill

Notice that one house sitting in that lovely green fruited yard versus the multirow gated concrete compounds. Back in the days every property was like that one house in the big yard.