New Devon House design meant to cater to more foot traffic, says TEF

 

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) says the new design at Devon House is to encourage more foot traffic to the other businesses within the complex.

 

Executive Director of the TEF, Dr. Carey Wallace, says the design was done to maintain the aesthetics and cater to customers. 

 

"We had to design it in a way that it allowed for the increased volume of pedestrian traffic that we're having. So it's a balance between and making sure it's sustainable as an attraction, because you want...the concessionaires that are there to earn so that they can pay the rent, so that the rent can then maintain the attraction in a sustainable way," he explained Thursday on Beyond the Headlines.

 

There have been mixed reactions to the project, which includes the addition of pavestones over some previously green areas. 

 

Some members of the public have raised concern about the negative effects of the reduction of green spaces on the property.

 

But the Tourism Enhancement Fund says the development, which began in March, seeks to address expressed concerns about safety, pedestrian flow, the functionality of the courtyard, and accessibility to people with disabilities.

 

 

Architect Dr. Patricia Green said because Devon House is a historic site, its preservation should not only be focused on the buildings but also the environs.

 

She insisted that any restorative work done should include the protection of the natural vegetation on the property. 

 

"There's archeology to look at the old beds and the whole plant archaeology, where you look at the plants that were traditionally grown in these spaces and you recreate them. Now, it's either we're serious about restoration or we are not," she argued. 

 

Dr. Green also questioned the rationale of the responsible authority, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, in approving the decision to carry out the renovations.

 

"If we have a historic restoration project and there is a scientific framework for undertaking historic restoration projects internationally and  Jamaica is part of that framework – they have signed in 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Agreements, and Devon House falls as one of these buildings...then you preserve the historic environment, and that should have been the first thing that was respected and maintained and enhanced for the future generation."