KSAMC moves to clear street vendors from parish church

The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) is launching another aggressive push to relocate illegal street vendors operating outside the historic Kingston Parish Church on King Street.

Civic authorities claim the move is urgently needed to address escalating public safety risks, traffic gridlock, and severe sanitation issues that have plagued the century-old landmark for decades.

Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby made the disclosure during a meeting with the vendors who sell in the area dubbed 65 Mall.

Vendors have repeatedly pushed back against relocating to markets, citing high user fees and a lack of foot traffic compared to the crowds passing directly by the church gates.

During the meeting, mounting concerns affecting shoppers, vendors and the wider city were brought into sharp focus.

Swaby is adamant vending will be banned in the area shortly:

“We have had a discussion about not vending in front of the parish church and also Upper King Street. We have, from a good while now, I think it's from when Minister [Desmond] McKenzie was mayor, we have had that understanding with the vendors. In recent times, I have seen an increase in the number of vendors there, and that cannot be tolerated anymore,” Swaby insisted.

However, no timeline has yet been set.

“The KSAMC will be having discussions with the police and with our own local municipal police to put some strategies in place to prevent persons from vending there. I take advice from the police as to when we should work, what date we should work it. One thing I know is that the vendors will be properly notified before we put those measures in place as to as of which date,” the mayor noted.

But Swaby acknowledged that the vendors have their own problems with the areas designated for selling and noted that he will be touring those sites on Friday:

“The issues that they spoke about were the situation with the bathroom. Not that the bathroom is not in a good condition, but how it is left at times by not only the vendors themselves, but persons from outside who come inside there and use the bathroom. There are other issues where some of the stalls that the persons use outside, they take it into and store it in the arcade. Handcarts also. They mentioned some lighting issues, which I've given immediate instructions that we should address those things,” said Swaby.

- Karen Madden

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