Some Suva residents are not happy about a meeting held today on a proposed apartment project near Short Street, Suva.

They say the consultation was poorly timed, making it hard for people to attend and believe it was done on purpose to keep numbers low.

Adrienne Ali, a resident of Short Street says more people would have turned up if the meeting about the nine-storey apartment by Dong Cheng Investment was held in the evening instead of during the day.

“In my opinion, you set it—this is my personal opinion you set it deliberately at this time to ensure a voter turnout. Not all of the regulatory authorities are here. So how can we say that this is a proper consultation when you sponsored it, but you have not ensured that all of the stakeholders are present to answer our questions?”

Ali raised concerns about limited access to the full EIA report.

She also raised questions about local employment, noise, dust, traffic pollution and fire safety.

Bipin Patel, another resident is calling for all the right people, especially those who know the job well to be present at future consultations.

“Get everybody here. So we can all make an informed decision. And get proper information. On what’s happening and what’s going to happen. This is a half-light job. I think this is a joke. Some kind of joke wasting our time. Wasting my time. Please. I’m worried about my property.”

Patel says the residents were not properly consulted and are being left in the dark about a project that could significantly alter their neighbourhood.

However, according to the review report the first consultation was held on the 27th August, last year with a household survey done in December with 30 households, 43 commercial businesses, 3 religious institutions and 1 school.

In response, Ministry of Environment says they will be calling on the review committee next week which will be another meeting that is required under the Environment Management Act to be conducted before the decision is made.

The Suva City Council is urging residents to respect the process, saying it’s designed to deliver the best outcome for everyone involved.

Iva Bakalevu, Senior Urban Planning Officer says the construction permit is not yet given and the final decision will be made after gathering all information for which consultation is important.

The EIA report is now with the Environment Ministry, which has been accepting feedback since the 25th of last month for 21 days.

However, residents say that’s not enough and are calling for more discussions on the proposed development.

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