Renovation works at Esplanade kiosks and Camion Hall

Renovation works at Esplanade kiosks and Camion Hall


Thursday 21 September 2017
Re-development

Renovation works at the Esplanade kiosks and Camion Hall in Victoria may start now that procurement and tender procedures have been approved. Work on the Esplanade kiosks is scheduled to start on 2 October whereas renovation of Camion Hall building will start on 18 October.
by T. Foyez
The CEO of the Small Enterprise Promotion Agency (SEnPA), Penny Belmont, called a meeting last week with the tenants of Esplanade kiosks and Camion Hall to inform them about the works to be undertaken.
20 Kiosk tenants will have to move out by 2 October for the renovation works that will last until 22 December. The tenants will also get three months grace from paying rent while the kiosks are being renovated. SEnPA will provide temporary spots to the vendors in the ex-children playground to allow for continuity in running their business.
Special arrangements have also been made with the Seychelles Ports Authority for flexibility and special security for the 20 tenants from the Esplanade kiosks. They will be allowed to sell their products inside and outside the port area when cruise ships are visiting the country. Mrs. Belmont has also arranged for a few entrepreneurs to run their business at a location in town during the coming Kreol Festival.
TODAY has interviewed a few of the tenants to learn about their plans during the transition period. All those contacted agreed that renovation was much needed as the structures in place are old but the temporary closure, they said, will have an impact on their life in terms of income reduction.
A kiosk tenant, Mrs. Norma, told TODAY: "we had a meeting last Friday with SENPA because you can see that the place is very old now. It is true that we have to renovate the place because the rain is getting inside so everything gets wet. We are satisfied with the arrangement made to sell in the Ports area when the cruise ship will be there and during the festival Kreol as well. At the same time, during the renovation we will have a chance to go to Social Security as some of us have loans to pay back. From 2 October we will have to clear everything and give back the keys. After the renovation, by 22 December, we will come back. I have no plan yet about everyday business though".
Another tenant explained that "we are just trying to see what we can do. Because when the cruise ships are not there, we do not have other places to work. So our business will suffer and we will incur losses."
Antoine Manes, a tenant, opined that "we have to wait until renovation is done. And the place really needs to be renovated. But the transition will have an impact on our livelihood."
Mrs. Belmont told TODAY that "we will try to finish the renovation work as soon as possible, even before the three months period perhaps. My wish is to have the work completed before the rainy season and to ensure that everyone has nice and clean kiosks for Christmas."
As for the Camion Hall building, renovation work will start on October 18 and is expected to be completed in January next year.
Work on the building will be done in four phases ─ first on the main office, then on the right wing of the building, and finally on the left wing. The final phase will be related to the ground floor.

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