Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

SILVA

WESTERN BUREAU:

Spain's Ambassador to Jamaica, Jesús Silva, said the nation's parish councils need to be more mindful of the signals sent when they issue stop orders on hotel construction worksites.

"The parish councils have to be aware that giving a stop order is a very grave decision because it costs millions (of dollars) to the companies," he said.

"One of the things that we are all working on is that Jamaica wants to be an investment-friendly country, so giving stop orders to a site is something that does not help at all for the investment-friendly climate of the country."

Breaches

The problem of stop orders emerged early this year when the Spanish-owned Fiesta Hotel, at Point Estate in Lucea, Hanover, was cited with some nine building-permit breaches by the Hanover Parish Council. This precedent was then followed by the St. James Parish Council when they placed a stop order and subsequent enforcement notice on the 701-room ClubHotel Riu at Mahoe Bay in Montego Bay.

"(These are) very extreme positions that parish councils have to think over before they take because it is a very bad image for the investment climate," the ambassador said.

"We have agreed after the problems were raised in Fiesta that there would be a constructive process of dialogue, where all the agencies and companies and contractors would be speaking with each other."

Speaking specifically concerning the Fiesta group, Silva said that it was impossible that there would not be problems on-site with a workforce of more than 2,000 persons. He said the important thing is that problems raised are being addressed.

"There is no reason to give a stop order to the site because they are dialoguing and the problems are being revised," he said, adding, "it is important that there is this constructive attitude towards the investors of trying to help them, not trying to stop them.

"I think the Government and the Opposition both are making a very big effort to encourage the investment-friendly climate of Jamaica. The presence of these companies is already a result of this climate, so I think that being investment-friendly is not only bringing over the investors, there has to be a true spirit of partnership in the whole process," Ambassador Silva added.