There has been “no significant progress” on the project to build a new parliament building in Montserrat, Premier Reuben Meade has said.
Speaking on the topic in a meeting of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, 25 February, Meade blamed the delay on various factors “including, but not limited to, cost”.
He was responding to opposition leader Paul Lewis who asked for an update on the status of the project, specifically whether the previously assigned funding was still available.
In 2023, the UK’s Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth committed £2 million (about EC$6.9 million) for the building.
In his brief answer, Meade did not mention whether the funding was still available, so Lewis probed further, with the premier saying that his former response “clearly means that the funds are still there”.
A further question from the opposition leader on whether the government had any intention to seek additional funding went unanswered due to parliamentary rules.
Tender process
In December 2023, the government launched am invitation to tender for the design of a new parliament building near the Montserrat Cultural Centre in Little Bay with a closing date of February 2024.
Candidates with Caribbean or international experience in designing parliamentary or similar buildings and commercial spaces were invited to apply.
“The design must be context-appropriate whilst creating a sense of architectural and civic presence,” an introduction to the tender invitation said.
“It must enable the effective and efficient functioning of a modern legislative assembly, and serve as a culturally significant and accessible space for visitors and local residents.”
The design needed to reflect the users’ needs, parliamentary protocols, culture, sustainability, and have the potential to be considered an icon within the island’s architectural landscape.
The winning bidder was expected to develop concept designs, spatial coordination, and technical, final designs for the project, as well as cost estimates.
No information on the result of the tender was made public.
‘Unfit-for-purpose’
Following the eruption of Soufrière Hills volcano in 1995, all government services were evacuated to the safe zone, according to the invitation to tender.
Ever since then, the parliament building and the office of the legislature have hosted operations in multiple temporary and “unfit-for-purpose” accommodations, it said.
Currently the parliament, constitution and commissions secretariat, and office of the opposition are renting separate facilities to maintain office operations.
Sittings of parliament are taking place in a makeshift chamber within the auditorium of the Montserrat Cultural Centre.
“The inadequacy and operational inefficiency of the current accommodation structure is well-evidenced,” the invitation to tender said.
The construction of a new parliament building is included in the Little Bay Masterplan, with a land parcel allocated to the north of the cultural centre.
It is also supported by Montserrat’s Sustainable Development Plan, and Montserrat’s Economic Growth Strategy 2017.
