Coffee coming, parking space going

THE EDITOR: At La Romaine (near Gulf City Mall), a new building for a foreign coffee franchise is being constructed on land that houses a pizza restaurant’s car parking.

I would like someone from Town and Country Planning to explain how approval was given considering that it reduces existing parking space to insufficient levels for two food establishments. A new business would not get approval for so few parking spaces, so why was this approved, especially considering that it includes a drive-through?

Currently the reduced parking and restricted vehicle thoroughfare is causing traffic to back up to the main road intersection – and the new place isn’t open as yet. Is this a case of big business using contacts to bypass normal procedures and get what it wants? Should we allow foreign franchises to do anything they want while penalising local businesses that follow the rules?

It’s common knowledge that money talks but where is the scrutiny and anti-corruption investigations for land use planning and approvals in TT?

R SAMAROO

via e-mail