Citizen's group peeved at not being allowed to present to parliamentary committee

A citizens group is demanding to be heard following what it says is a decision by parliament's Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee to exclude it from making a verbal presentation at the next meeting on Thursday.

Citizens' Rights to the City (CRC), comprised of associations and individual residents of 29 communities, mainly in Kingston and St Andrew, says it is "greatly troubled" by the decision.

It calls the decision curious, noting that its written submission is listed as an item on the meeting's agenda.

"The Parliamentary Committee's decision to exclude a verbal presentation by CRC at its next meeting, is concerning as it could be interpreted as an effort to stifle citizens' voices and to pay lip service to consideration of the issues raised in CRC's written submission," the group said in a statement to the media.

CRC says a written submission was first made to the committee in November 2021 by the Golden Triangle Neighbourhood Association and was again submitted in November 2022 by Citizens' Rights to the City as the committee had failed to meet in the interim.

It says the submission brings the parliamentary committee's attention to the wide impacts of the 2017 Provisional Development Order for Kingston and St Andrew, in particular, the changes in policy related to building heights and densities.

"The written submission to the Parliamentary Committee is especially pertinent given that Prime Minister Holness and the head of the National Environment and Planning Agency, Peter Knight have announced imminent plans to confirm the 2017 Provisional Development Order," it argues.

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