BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 6, 2017–There has been disquiet in the seaside community of the Caribbean Shores area over noise pollution, parking disruptions and public urination in the area known as Belize City’s entertainment mecca, at the heart of which is the renovated BTL Park which has become a hub for enterprising Belizeans who benefit from the renewed buzz of activity by park patrons.
However, the area is also known for partying, live concerts, public movie screening and open-air clubbing—the effects of which are said to spill over into the surrounding domiciles of families many of whom are affluent.
Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley recently told the media that zoning regulations, which would arguably help to regulate and mitigate the situation, are in the works, and he went further to say, based on his understanding, that draft zoning legislation went to Cabinet last Tuesday.
When the matter was raised by, Caribbean Shores area representative for the Opposition People’s United Party, Kareem Musa in Parliament on Friday last, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that no such regulations had been tabled.
“There were no regulations before Cabinet on Tuesday… There were no regulations scheduled to come to Cabinet on Tuesday and, as far as I know from checking now with the Minister of Local Government, there are no regulations on his desk that are awaiting submission to Cabinet,” said Barrow.
Bradley had previously told News 5’s Isani Cayetano, “This is something that has been in the pipeline for two and a half years. We’ve worked very aggressively on getting those regulations in place. It has been slowed. The regulations for the zoning, I think, represent a healthy approach in dealing with some of the concerns that have been raised there.”
“First of all they no longer wish to have the Carnival there. I don’t know if it’s Mexican or Guatemalan, but it’s a real nuisance. So, if it is that he is no longer going to allow the Carnival to come there, we applaud that initiative.
“Two, the residents, Madam Speaker, complain that they are locked into their homes, because the parking situation is a disaster. And so you have the patrons of these establishments parking right in front of the constituents’ homes, and they cannot get out,” Musa said.
He also said that there are complaints about noise pollution, and when residents call after-hours, the Police Department says it has no jurisdiction.