Orient Bay Carbets: W. Cocks wants to compensate the operators

Last week, the Collectivité announced to the Marigot retailers whose businesses have been impacted by the work underway in the city center, the establishment of a commission which will decide on a compensation. Considering that these businesses are not the only ones to have suffered an economic prejudice this year, Wendel Cocks, vice-president of the Collectivité in charge of the Department of Economic Development, wants to expand this Commission to the Orient Bay carbet operators.

"I want to prevent a sense of injustice", he said on Monday morning at a press conference. "As a conscientious person, I cannot let this opportunity pass by. The carbet operators have endured an interruption of their business for six months. They have been prejudiced", he believes, "unlike the Marigot retailers, who have remained open despite the work". "If we had been able to set up this program at the time, I think we would have been able to avoid the excesses that we witnessed," said Wendel Cocks. "But it’s never too late to correct one’s mistakes", he added.

Following the delay of the work site, the Collectivité had already granted two months’ free rent. However, Wendel Cocks thinks this is not enough.

Operators will be able to seize this commission for which the creation will be discussed by the members of the Territorial Council on December 8. The next step will be to prepare its internal regulations, in other words define the eligibility and payment criteria. Only the files of the retailers who are up to date with their contributions and taxes will be reviewed.

For Wendel Cocks, this Commission is necessary because other work projects must be scheduled, especially in the framework of the restructuring of Marigot. "This will allow us to anticipate the retailers’ discontent," he said.