Floor tiles at four homes along Pavilion Road, Bank Hall, St Michael, have popped up and the residents believe it is as a result of structural movement to their homes due to a massive construction taking place behind them.
However, developer Yusuf Bhamjee who said he was building offices on land at Bank Hall, Main Road, is not accepting any responsibility for the blown tiles telling It Matters To Maria that the residents would have to “bring the proof.”
Pointing out that each of them experienced the blown tiles at different times, the residents said they only recently discovered through conversations with each other that they all had the same problem and that was when they collectively came to the conclusion that it had to be as a result of the heavy duty equipment, which had been used on the construction site.
“I was talking to my neighbour and telling her that the tiles in my living room and dining room blow and she say ‘wuh Jackie my tiles blow too’ and then we went and ask the other neighbours and two of them said their tiles were also blown,” said Jacqueline Drakes who has been living at Pavilion Road for all of her life.
She revealed tiles lifted in her living room, dining room but said the ones in the bedrooms were the first to blow about three months ago. However, she lamented that Bhamjee had not been receptive to her complaint.
“We told him about the tiles and he said it ain’t have anything to do with him it had to be the heat.”
Her neighbour who has an apartment complex a few feet away from the construction site said her tenants complained to her from the time the
construction started nine months ago that the heavy machinery was causing the apartments to shake “When they were digging the foundation all the plates use to be shaking and the houses vibrating,” she said, pointing out that the tiles blew in both apartments and she retiled them but now they were lifting again.
“They had big equipment over there and the whole house use to vibrate. My husband called Mr Bhamjee but all he is saying is it is the heat.”
At the other house, neighbour “Margaret” said she got up one day and all of the tiles in her patio were lifted forcing her to remove them. She said it was only after speaking to her neighbours that she realised they too had problems at their homes.
The fourth affected resident was not at home.
The residents called on the Planning Development Unit to investigate the matter as they said they were shocked that permission had been granted for the construction of such a massive building so close to their properties.
Bhamjee admitted that he had not gone to check any of the complaints and insisted that the lifted tiles could not be linked to his construction because the two houses closest were not affected.
“We didn’t use any heavy rollers. We didn’t do anything there. We have a construction going on over here and the one guy who approached me, I told him, please come with evidence. They just tried to build the pressure on me. Because the very next door neighbour to me, I spoke to them, and they said they don’t have any problem. The only problem they have is the noise.”
“There is only one lady who called me and her son came to me very aggressively the other night. I didn’t take any action. I could’ve called the police. So yes, we have construction going on up there, but we didn’t use any heavy equipment there because we don’t have that kind of things to use because it’s a soft rock. So we don’t even have to use the jack hammer or anything.”
He said he had also spoken to his attorney who advised him that the residents would have to bring the proof as he maintained that the tiles had popped because of the heated conditions.
“Even myself, where I live, I have a tiny blow-up by me in St James. I have one house in Belleville, I have a tiny blow-up. This is because of the heat and cold we have right now. This is what blowing up the tiles, not my work.” (MB)
