The government has spent approximately $700,000 demolishing 45 derelict properties in the Point and Villa area, and property owners will be required to bear those costs, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the disclosure during his weekly radio programme on Saturday, framing the demolition campaign as part of a broader effort to improve communities, remove unsafe structures, and create a cleaner environment. He was firm, however, that the financial burden should not fall on taxpayers.
"We actually broke down 45 properties in Point and Villa so far at a cost of about $700,000," Browne said.
The prime minister made clear that owners of abandoned and dilapidated properties will be held financially accountable when the government is compelled to intervene.
"We're not doing it for free," Browne said. "Ultimately, we're going to attach a charge to the lands if it costs us $5,000, $10,000 to break down the whole structure."
Browne explained that demolition and cleanup costs will be recorded as a charge against the affected property, giving the government a mechanism to recover its expenditure.
"The cost to clean up the thing is going to form a charge on the property," he said.
