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#HandsOffOurParksAndGardens
Parks and Gardens land, Cantonments
By a Certificate of Allocation dated 2nd October 1952, 10.8 acres of land in the Cantonments area including where Parks and Gardens Headquarters stands was allocated by the Colonial Government to the Ministry of Agriculture for a Horticultural Nursery.
In 1961, the Department of Parks and Gardens was established and the land was subsequently allocated to the Department of Parks and Gardens, who have been in uninterrupted possession from 1961 to date.
In 2019, there was an attempt to appropriate a portion of the Green Space to build a multi-storey office building. This was successfully resisted by Eco-Conscious Citizens with the support of concerned citizens and sections of the media.
In February 2021, trees from the National Cathedral grounds were removed from the Cathedral grounds to be planted on Parks and Gardens land at Cantonments. In the process of taking the trees to Parks and Gardens land, part of the wall built by the Department of Parks and Gardens was broken to get the trees to the horticultural site.
The Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) noted in a letter dated July 2021 that the original use of the land is Horticultural Nursery and that “…the Department of Parks and Gardens uses the land to nurse seedlings and to cultivate other tree species for Government and other relevant institutions and the general public for planting and beautification of the city of Accra. The site is therefore an active green open space and for that matter a public space and should remain as such.”
In April 2024, one Rev. Ezekiel who claims to represent Dani Ike Estate Developers Ltd used the gap in the wall to tresspass on Parks and Gardens land and bring 2 containers.
The trespasser was asked to remove his containers but failed to do so.
Parks and Gardens officers arranged for the containers to be removed from the Green Space but in the process of removing the 2nd container, Rev Ezekiel arrived on the scene with heavily built men and stopped the removal of the 2nd container.
The matter was reported to Cantonments Police Station, and the parties were asked to bring their documents.
Rev. Ezekiel was unable to bring any physical documents, and said he was waiting for the results of a Search. He was asked not to tresspass on Parks and Gardens land.
Parks and Gardens Department has caused the wall to be repaired.
On 18th April 2024, the Department of Parks and Gardens was served with a writ by Dani Ike Estate Developers who are claiming that in 2017, they acquired 2.125 acres of the public open Green Space from Wontirim Company Ltd.
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