Ministry of VROMI wins two court cases on WestVu construction project

GREAT BAY--The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) reported that on Monday, November 10, the Court of First Instance issued two favorable judgments in matters related to the WestVue construction project. Minister Gumbs says the rulings confirm the Ministry’s authority to enforce civil works regulations and uphold proper building standards.

The first case concerned the construction freeze that VROMI ordered earlier this year. The developer challenged the decision and sought to have it overturned. The court found that, despite a building permit, no excavation or civil works permit had been granted under the Landsverordening Ruimtelijke Ontwikkeling (LRO). The court held that an excavation or civil works permit is not implicit in a building permit, and that the text of the building permit itself points to other applicable ordinances, including the LRO.

The second case concerned a public access request for government information. While the government prevailed overall, the court found that VROMI exceeded the time allowed by law to respond in one element of the matter. As a result, the Ministry must pay Xcg 325 to the claimant.

In its reasoning on enforcement, the court rejected the claim that VROMI acted disproportionately. The court noted that the public interest outweighs the financial interests of the claimant, and took into account that the Minister offered the developer options to continue limited mobilization on site, and proposed an accelerated application and approval track to minimize delays.

The court further found no violation of equality or arbitrariness, recognizing that the Ministry has chosen to prioritize enforcement on large projects while it improves the excavation permitting process, and that comparable parties have been approached in the same manner. The Minister stressed that the court in its verdict basically indicated that past lapses in enforcement do not oblige government to repeat mistakes.

Minister Gumbs underscored why the decision matters for the wider community. He said since starting his tenure, many residents have raised concerns about erosion, road quality, and sewage, areas regulated through civil works permitting. Clear rules and consistent enforcement help protect public infrastructure and the environment, and support orderly development. The Minister noted that some developers have assumed that a building permit automatically includes permission for excavation or other civil works. The court confirmed this is not the case.

“Change is hard,” the Minister said. “We cannot want a high quality of life and not make necessary changes to make it happen.” He added that government must facilitate development within the law, and that the Ministry remains available to guide applicants through the required processes. The Minister called for restraint in politicizing administrative processes, and emphasized that consistent application of the rules benefits all parties and the country.

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