Saint Lucia: Deputy PM Ernest opens temporary location for Morne Lay-By vendors

Saint Lucia: Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hilaire officially opened the temporary location for the Morne Lay-By vendors on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at the Morne Lay-By Park. This establishment took place to provide an alternate venue for the local vendors of the community.

As per the Information, Deputy Prime Minister Ernest and the Ministry of Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information officially led the launch at the Morne Lay-By Park on Sunday.

The launch also saw the convergence of local vendors and industry stakeholders.

Deputy Prime Minister Ernest extended his pleasure on his official social media handle, he wrote, “It was a pleasure yesterday to officially open the temporary location for the Morne Lay-By. The original structure was compromised, and we had to make a decision to demolish it.”

“As we prepare to construct a new one, we immediately moved to establish a temporary space to allow vendors to continue their business,” he further continued.

Further, the Deputy Prime Minister also thanked the Permanent Secretary, staff and the architect for taking urgency to the project. He thanked the vendors for their practical cooperation and said: “Very soon, I will share the conceptual designs of the new facility.”

Reportedly, the Ministry of Tourism met with the Morne Lay-By vendors in August 2023 to discuss their relocation during the redevelopment of the existing vending facilities and preparations for the upcoming cruise season.

The public was also encouraged to patronize the vendors at the new facility while they await the reconstruction of the old site.

Some People have shown extreme support and pleasure to the Deputy Prime Minister and made specific comments under his Facebook post. Some users congratulated him on this new project, while some said, keep up the fantastic work and pay the vendors first.