PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Monday, June 1st, 2009 - The Ministry of Natural Resources takes this opportunity to sensitize the general public on the Crown Land Illegal Occupation Ordinance (2008). The Crown Land Illegal Occupation Ordinance was passed in the House of Assembly in April 2008 and came into force in December 2008.
The law is specifically designed to address the wide-scale squatting that has escalated in many communities of the Turks and Caicos Islands and is now becoming a crisis. The problem is particularly prevalent in areas such as Five Cays and Blue Hills in Providenciales, but has also proliferated to North Caicos in recent years.
This Ordinance makes it illegal for any person without lawful authority to use or occupy, construct any building or structure, or abandon any vehicle on Crown Land. Persons found guilty of such an offense is liable upon summary conviction to a fine of US$10,000 or to imprisonment for six months and upon conviction on indictment to a fine of US$50,000 or to imprisonment for two years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
In addition to the penalty the court has the authority to order the offender to restore the land to its original state. If the offense is committed by a body corporate, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate who consented to the offense can be fined.
The Ordinance is enforceable by the Commissioners of Lands and Assistant Commissioners of Land, who have the power to:
(a) require a person to cease the unauthorised occupation of Crown land, give up possession of the land and restore the land to a condition satisfactory to the Minister;
(b) seize on behalf of the government all improvements, goods, chattels or other materials on the Crown land;
(c) require the person to remove any improvements made by the person on the Crown land, to the satisfaction of the Minister, within the time specified in the notice.
Land Commissioners are also empowered to remove or demolish any structure if persons fail to comply with notices. Any cost incurred by the Commissioner of Lands will be recovered as a debt due to the Government from the person upon whom the notice was served.
The Ministry is strongly warning persons in breach of any part of the Ordinance to immediately demolish any structure not authorised by the Department of Planning or that has been erected on Crown Land without official permission. Within the next two months, Land Commissioners in collaboration with Police Officers will be commencing sting operations to ensure this law is enforced.
For further information, please contact the Ministry of Natural Resources in Providenciales at Palmco Building Leeward Highway; and in Grand Turk, at the Government Compound, Downtown.
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