The Lautoka Residents and Ratepayers Association has called for an investigation into the yet-to-be-completed hotel project at Shirley Park.
Association president Narayan Reddy said during a meeting with Ministry of Local Government officials earlier this year, the association expressed concern that the project had been lying idle for years.
“We had asked the present Government to do an investigation into how that land lease was transferred in the first place and how that portion of land was sold and for how much,” Mr Reddy said.
“We want to find out if there was a development lease given to the buyer.
“With every development lease given, there is an expiration date so we want to know if that lease is still valid or whether it has gone over the date.
“To my knowledge, a development lease is between three and five years.
“When that happens the land goes back to the original owners.”
He urged the Minister for Local Government to look at the issue with some urgency.
“We are urging the honourable minister to look into this because in Lautoka there are quite a few projects that had groundbreaking ceremonies, but the projects were never completed.
“Projects like Shirley Park and the court house development.
“So we questioned the minister on these projects and we hope that they explain to our residents and ratepayers because these affect them.”
The association has been vocal about the hotel development which first began in 2014 based on a decision to rezone the park by the then director of town and country planning.
The rezoning then allowed for the hotel development.
Apart from public letters, petitions, legal redress was sought stop the re-zoning.
The motion was struck out by the High Court in Lautoka in September, 2015.
In response to earlier queries, Minister for Local Government Maciu Katamotu had stated the development of the park was “still in the process”.
“There were a few other projects and concept plans that were brought forward, but we are still reviewing that,” he said.
“We will most probably sit down again with the Lautoka City Council as well as the chairman and special administrators to discuss the best way of developing Shirley Park.”
