Supreme Court grants Constant Spring Market vendors 14-day injunction

The demolition of the Constant Spring Market in St Andrew has been stalled after the Supreme Court granted vendors a 14-day injunction yesterday.

According to attorney Bert Samuels, the vendors had received verbal notice to vacate the market by March 31 as it would be demolished to facilitate the expansion of Constant Spring Road.

"We felt that vendors who were paying their licence fees and are licensees of the Kingston and St Andrew (Municipal) Corporation were entitled to be treated humanely, and that they should be heard," Samuels told The Gleaner.

He argued that the notice was inadequate for the vendors to uproot themselves and find a new location.

Samuels added, "Some of these vendors have been there for over 40 years; we felt that their constitutional rights of having an interest in the licence for that property ... should be protected and given due process."

The injunction was granted by Justice Grace Henry McKenzie, who will determine the next step when the matter is mentioned on June 25.

The mayor of Kingston did not respond to a request from The Gleaner for a comment on the matter.

It is projected that the Government will spend $2.4 billion under the Major Infrastructure Development Programme to widen Constant Spring Road.