Cobblestone Inn operator signs new five-year lease with NPL

Operator of The Cobblestone Inn Ann Joshua has signed a new five-year lease with National Properties Limited (NPL), the owners of the Bay Street based restaurant and hotel.

Joshua, who has been operating the hotel for the last 30 years, had, on July 12, 2016, been served with a ‘Notice To Quit’ by lawyer Grahame Bollers, solicitor for NPL.{{more}}

She had been given until September 30, 2016 to hand over the premises for which she had been paying $24,000, on a month to month basis, for some time.

However, SEARCHLIGHT has confirmed with a usually reliable source that a new lease, in which the monthly rent was left unchanged at $24,000, was signed several days before the deadline date.

In July, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves had said that the Government had decided that, in the interest of transparency and proper development of that property and other government property, there should be an open tendering process for the Cobblestone Inn, but first, the relationship with Joshua must be ended legally.

On July 29, the NPL published in local newspapers an “Invitation for Expression of Interest for the Leasing of Property to Operate and Manage” the Cobblestone Inn Hotel. Interested persons were given until August 12 at 4 p.m. to submit their “Expressions of Interest”.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that Joshua was the only person who submitted an Expression of Interest.

In August, Harold Dougan, general manager of NPL, had given the assurance thst the entire tendering process should not take very long. “We intend for it to be completed in short order.”