TIRED of waiting on government’s promise of a new structure, some former tenants of the People’s Mall that was wiped out by a disastrous fire a year ago, have set up tents along the perimeter and resumed business.

Other former shop owners in the once-popular Port of Spain mall have elected to rent space in buildings and other malls around the city, though most have plans to return to the People’s Mall, once rebuilt.

The People’s Mall began as a collection of simple structures set up on the site of several burnt out buildings to accommodate vendors 25 years ago.

Several “People’s Mall” tenants have resumed
trading in tents around the perimeter of the mall
site as they wait for the new mall to be built.
Queensway Building, which was also
burnt out in the fire, rises in the
background.

The vendors were never relocated and some eventually built wooden and concrete structures on originally allotted spaces.

Eventually, the lanes running between the structures were given names such as “Unity Lane” and “Prosperity Lane.”

However, the area also became (for want of a better term) “hard to police”.

It all came to an abrupt end on April 9, 2005, when fire of unknown origin swept through the “mall” wiping out all 213 shops.

Government is at present preparing a lease for the land to be granted to a company formed by former mall tenants.

That company, in partnership with the Urban Development Corporation (UDECOTT), would then undertake the construction of the new People’s Mall.