Dirk’s plans for D5: cottage-like housing to attract tourists, adult daycare

Progressives United candidate for the Fifth Electoral District Dirk Walters wants structures in the district to be built in an aesthetically less modernised manner to attract more visitors to the British Virgin Islands.

Speaking at his campaign launch in Huntums Ghut on Saturday, Walters argued that the BVI must be careful not to excessively metropolitanize local communities.

He said: “Emphasis should be placed on building low-impact structures to attract tourists — structures that utilise the land as is, instead of altering the terrain. Build within the context of the hillside and so forth. Build cottages and homes that are eco-friendly. People don’t really want to come here to the Virgin Islands and see skyscrapers, they don’t want to see KFCs and McDonalds and all these other franchises.”

Walters is also proposing to establish more thorough and frequent ghut-cleaning initiatives, not only to safeguard against flooding but also to maintain the beauty within the community.

The Progressives United candidate said he also believes residents should be ‘encouraged’ to build gardens on their properties. He is proposing a community garden for persons without yard space.

“We’d find designated areas and make it a community garden where persons can rent spaces to do their own items,” he said.

Walters also proposed a comprehensive care plan for the district’s elderly. Part of that plan is to host fundraising initiatives to purchase a wheelchair-accessible bus for elderly district folk.

“Unfortunately not everyone comes from a loving, kind-hearted and close-knit family. Some of us don’t have that luxury or that privilege. We have to look out for our seniors. And we will develop elderly and vulnerable assistance programmes like adult daycare — a designated area in the district where seniors can congregate safely in a supervised environment [such as] a church, a community centre, etcetera,” he said, adding that the community would also benefit from a resident nurse for the district.

“What are the benefits of that? It reduces re-admissions to the hospital; freeing up beds for critical cases and preventing long admission times.”