“We will do right by the people who are affected.”

That’s the assurance being given by Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles regarding the land acquisition process for the new ANR International Robinson Airport terminal in Crown Point, which will see some property owners relocated for the project.

The Airport is set to be expanded, and several of its facilities upgraded, to facilitate greater traffic as the island boosts its tourism industry. And the Chief Secretary stressed that all affected residents will be treated fairly.

“…As part of the process to ensure fair and adequate compensation… the state will pay for private valuations,” Charles said during yesterday’s post-Executive Council media briefing.

“…And I would want to say those residents likely to be affected, you can go right ahead and engage your private valuators, but ensure that they are duly registered, because it would be necessary for you to protect your interest.”

He also assured the residents that those whose properties may be acquired are not being asked to relocate in a matter of weeks as has been claimed recently. In fact, those in the designated area have been served with Section Three notices to allow surveyors to assess their properties.

“A Section Three notice is not an eviction notice,” Charles stated. “What it does is that it says to the owners ‘your property is likely to be required for the purpose of, in this case, the construction of the airport terminal’.”

The Chief Secretary also stated that the THA has committed to assisting affected residents beyond compensation to make their transition “as smooth as possible”.

This includes the formulation of a relocation policy, as well as the possibility of providing “available lands owned by the THA to facilitate this process”.