Abandoned houses being torn down

In a press release issued about a month ago, the Ministry of Housing said they would be demolishing thirty derelict buildings they believe pose a threat to our community. The Ministry says that these structures are often abandoned by their owners who have left for the United States. As a result, they become hideouts for thieves and drug users. The proposal sounds like a good one, but it may be easier said than done. This morning a contractor was in the process of breaking up a house on Pickstock Street when a neighbor tried to stop him saying the house belonged to her cousin and he had not been authorized to take it down. The man says he was contracted by the Ministry of Housing to take down the dilapidated building and he was only doing his work. Eventually a heated argument resulted in both of them going to the police station where they settled the matter. News Five spoke to the Attorney General and Minister of Housing Richard Dickie Bradley who says a notice was put in the newspapers to encourage owners of derelict buildings to repair their houses within a given time. He says that some owners simply did not cooperate and as a result the buildings are being taken down. He also confirmed that the contracted workers on Pickstock Street this morning were in fact doing their job as authorized. Bradley says over the next few months the city will undergo a facelift as buildings which are harboring criminals will be taken down if the owners do not comply with the Ministry’s request to demolish them.