Hangar Controversy Deepens: Names and Statements

The barricades may be gone, but the controversy remains.

News 5 has obtained statements from City Hall, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, and the Ministry of Natural Resources regarding considerations to subdivide the Hangar area in Belize City.

After News Five broke the story of an application for a provisional plan to subdivide and privatise the Hangar seafront, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner has finally spoken, carefully.

“The Council has no jurisdiction in issuing land in Belize City. We control streets, parks, playgrounds and reserves, but we have no authority to issue lands. We acted on the request of residents through a petition. Our action was to limit access to the area by foot. That is the extent of our action. The Hangar area is a street.”

The Hangar area is a designated street named “Henry Fairweather Street.”

According to a document, “On August 23, 2024, the Physical Planning Unit issued a receipt for an instrument with the number LUA-202400351, granting provisional approval for subdivision. The parcels involved are identified as 45-35-27, 45-35-26, 45-35-32, and 45-35-31. The proprietors listed include Louis Leslie, Henry C. Fairweather, JRD Holdings Ltd., Kenneth Clifton Fairweather (as administrator of the estate of Henry C. Fairweather, deceased), and Nicholas Edward Hastings (personal representative of the estate of Pamela Mary Hastings, deceased). The clients named in the document are Allen McNab, Jules Vasquez, Louis Leslie, and Michael James Fields, all identified as landowners.”

Pressed on whether the Council would need to approve any move to decommission that street, Wagner acknowledged that such authority does lie with the Council, but insisted that was not what happened in this case.

“Our approval was not about decommissioning,” he said. “It was to restrict vehicles and people who access that area and terrorise the residents.”

When asked about the provisional subdivision request that our newsroom uncovered, a document showing a 2024 attempt to carve up the Hangar area into private lots, the Mayor said he had “no knowledge” of it.

“That has not been proposed to the Council,” Wagner stated. “However, those kinds of requests have been made in the past by residents, and on some occasions we’ve allowed them based on the circumstances. Personally, I am for prioritising quality of life for all residents.”

When we reached out to Minister of Infrastructure Development Julius Espat, he confirmed that MIDH has no jurisdiction over the Hangar area since it lies within city limits.

“That is outside of MIDH’s jurisdiction,” Espat said. “Even the decommissioning and the public consultation component would fall under the Belize City Council.”

That statement squarely puts the ball back in the Council’s court.

Paul Thompson, CEO in the Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed to News 5 that indeed an application for provisional approval was submitted in August 2024 to subdivide the Hangar seafront, but says it was rejected almost immediately. “The application was a nonstarter,” Thompson said.

“It never made it for consideration by the Land Utilization and Subdivision Authority. The reason is simple, an application to subdivide land can only be made by the legal owner, and the Hangar area is Government of Belize land.”

Thompson added that no leases or purchase applications currently exist for the Hangar site.

This is a developing story.