Bigger Biggs advised to reapply

Leon “Bigger Biggs” Samuel will have to reapply for a licence before he is granted permission to mine aggregate at Rabacca.{{more}}

This is the decision of the Physical Planning and Development Board (PPDB), which was expressed to Samuel by way of a letter dated November 8, 2013.

Samuel made a copy of the letter available to SEARCHLIGHT.

According to the letter, “At a special meeting convened on 26th September, 2013 by the Physical Planning and Development Board (PPDB), to address matters pertaining to the SR&O No 2 of 2011 issued to Bigger Trucking and Blocks Construction Ltd in respect of mining operations at Rabacca, the Planning Board had directed that the matter be forwarded to the office of the Honourable Attorney General for legal advice.

“Therefore the Physical Planning and Development Board is pleased to inform you that permission to redevelop your mining operations at Rabacca is subjected to a new application,” the letter stated.

Samuel’s licence to mine at Rabacca was revoked in February 2011, with the Government saying the environment was being negatively impacted by Samuel’s operation and that the terms of Samuel’s licence had been violated.

This led to the closure of Samuel’s EC$12 million block making operation.

An impasse between the businessman and the relevant authorities ensued shortly thereafter, with Samuel staging several public protests.

Chief engineer Brent Bailey had earlier indicated that he did not have any issues working with Samuel, so that he could get back his licence.

Bailey said that the substantive matter is that the technical sub-committee of the PPDB needed to meet to review the Government’s position in relation to Samuel being allowed to mine, and to see whether Samuel had complied with the requirements stated in the order of 2011, which revoked his mining permit.

He said Samuel was required to remove the oil drums that he had on site, and take action to correct the soil that had been contaminated because of the spilt oil. Regarding areas of excavation, Bailey said that where there were unstable banks, Samuel was asked to trim them to a particular slope and ensure that vegetation was restored to those banks.

In relation to the farm access road which Samuel had blocked, Bailey said that although the businessman claims that the land on which the road runs is his, the survey map shows otherwise.