Two community-based groups raise concerns on behalf of Woodford residents

We write to bring attention to a matter of growing public concern in Grenada involving the industrial development at Woodford, St John, and broader questions surrounding planning law, environmental governance, and community consultation.

Two community-based groups from the affected areas have been actively engaged in raising concerns on behalf of residents.

The first is WE ACT (Woodford Environmental Alliance for Community Transformation), a community-led advocacy group formed in response to industrial development activity in Woodford. The group focuses on lawful development processes, public health considerations, and ensuring that environmental and planning regulations are properly enforced. WE ACT is also currently engaged in legal proceedings challenging aspects of the Planning and Development Authority (PDA) approvals and processes related to the Woodford industrial development.

The second is the Future Builders Community Network, a grassroots collective made up of young people and residents from Woodford, Brooklyn, Concord, Cotton Bailey, and surrounding communities. The group focuses on building stronger community structures for the future, encouraging civic participation, strengthening youth involvement, and ensuring that local voices are included in decisions that shape long-term development outcomes.

Both groups have expressed concern regarding the industrial development currently underway in Woodford, which is being led by Rayneau Construction Group, a St Lucia–based construction and industrial company headed by businessman Rayneau Gajadhar. The project includes proposed facilities such as asphalt production, concrete batching operations, quarry-related activity, and associated infrastructure.

Residents emphasise that their concern is not opposition to development itself, but rather the manner in which development is being implemented, particularly regarding compliance with planning law, environmental safeguards, and the timing of approvals relative to construction activity.

Concerns raised include allegations that development activity advanced ahead of full environmental assessment and regulatory completion, as well as questions regarding whether required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) procedures were fully satisfied before major works began.

The central issue being raised is one of process and legal compliance: that planning and environmental laws exist to guide development before construction begins, not to be applied after significant works have already taken place. Community members have also questioned whether a residential and agricultural area such as Woodford is appropriate for heavy industrial operations involving asphalt production, quarrying, heavy truck traffic, emissions, dust, and noise impacts.

Grenada, unlike larger industrial economies, relies heavily on tourism, agriculture, fisheries, and its natural environment. Residents, therefore, argue that environmental protection is directly linked to national economic survival and long-term sustainability. The debate has also been influenced by remarks made during  a public broadcast, The Bubb Report, by the owner of Rayneau Construction Group, during which comments were made regarding Caribbean labour history and development. The segment in question can be found at approximately 2 hours and 13 minutes into the broadcast.

Some listeners have described these remarks as historically insensitive, particularly in relation to statements about Caribbean labour and development narratives. Community members are calling for careful scrutiny of such perspectives when discussing development models in small island states.

Residents stress that their concerns are rooted in governance and accountability rather than opposition to progress. They are calling for transparent, lawful, and properly regulated development that includes meaningful consultation and environmental safeguards before irreversible changes are made to residential communities.

The groups further note that Grenada already faces environmental pressures in several areas, and that adding additional industrial activity near populated communities raises serious questions about cumulative impacts on health, safety, and quality of life.

WE ACT and the Future Builders Community Network maintain that our position is not anti-development, but pro-process, pro-law, and pro-community participation. We are calling for development that strengthens rather than displaces communities. Our core position is that residential communities should not be treated as sacrifice zones for industrial expansion, and that proper zoning and planning frameworks exist precisely to prevent such outcomes.

As small island states continue to balance economic development with environmental protection and social stability, the Woodford situation highlights the importance of ensuring that development proceeds in full compliance with planning law and with meaningful public participation.

Respectfully
Future Builders Community Network
(Woodford, Brooklyn, Concord, Cotton Bailey and surrounding communities)
Parish of St John, Grenada