Foster’s supermarket managing director Woody Foster has told the Central Planning Authority that the only viable option of preserving a 103-year-old traditional Caymanian house on property on which he plans to expand his West Bay store is to relocate it to East End.
The hearing on the application to expand the Foster’s Republix store on West Bay Road was adjourned from 13 Oct. to 15 Dec., so that the future of the property – known as the Aldine Franklin House or Miss Cassie’s House – could be addressed.
Foster said a number of options had been looked at, including moving the house to a site in Frank Sound Road in East End, and leaving it in situ where it would be maintained by government or the National Trust.
He said he had met with the National Trust and with government minister Bernie Bush to discuss the options and had been told that there were no funds available to maintain the house, either at its current location or elsewhere.
“In that regard, I believe that the best option for this house is to take it to East End and sell it to somebody who has the wherewithal and the mindset to take care of the house,” Foster said at the Wednesday, 15 Dec. hearing. “It will preserve the house, it will preserve its history and its heritage – the only thing it won’t do is be in its current location.”
In its application to the CPA, the company had stated that a buyer in East End has expressed interest in obtaining the house to use as a functioning home, and refurbishing to more closely resemble its origins. The company said the prospective owner “is willing to import materials to closely resemble the lime daub and wattle walls, shiplap siding and zinc roofing, gingerbread, and wooden trims similar to the original”.
Foster told the CPA members that leaving the house on its current site, and making it accessible to visitors, would mean that his company would be liable for any insurance claims made by people coming to the site.
“If we leave the property for the National Trust to manage, we are inviting somebody else’s problem to our location, which we’re not really interested in,” he said.
He added, “Liability is very real to us. We really are not interested in taking on that, on top of having to maintain a house that we don’t want.”
The news that the $2.2 million expansion included plans to move the house led to some strong opposition on social media, with more than 1,350 people signing an online petition calling on Foster to keep the house at its current site, which is designated as a Historic Overlay Zone. However, Foster argued that online commenters should not sway the decision.
He said social media commenters were not offering solutions or money to address the issue. “They don’t have anything to do with anything, other than putting their names on social media posts. We’re shouldn’t be pulled around by our nose by social media posts. That’s not the right thing to do,” he added.
In its response to the application, the Department of Environment also addressed the relocation of the old house, saying, “While a better option than demolishing it, it will still result in the loss of a traditional Caymanian house in a Historic Overlay Zone and a prominent location visited by tourists.”
Foster has previously stated that more effective laws needed to be in place to protect items of national cultural significance, and at the CPA meeting, he said his company was willing to put its name and money behind measures to preserve historical properties.
He told the board that, currently, “The whole process is an absolute disaster. We’re allowed to buy a piece of property, with everybody knowing that we’re going to do with it, which is expand. … The [seller] is allowed to take a whole pile of money for it, but when we get to the [planning] application stage, it’s ‘Oh no, you can’t do that.’ It’s nonsensical, it’s just stupid.
“We would like to commit to helping the process of working on that, which means putting money behind that and putting our name behind that… to try to push that agenda. We want to be a part of that.”
He suggested that a ‘preservation park’ could be created where historical homes could be relocated and maintained, so that an option would be available if a similar issue arose again.
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This is not St Paul’s Cathedral or the Empire State building. It’s a wooden shack that has already survived longer than its expected life span.
I’m sure the Fosters will be happy to give it to anyone who wants to cart it away.