Beautification project takes hold in Victoria |18 May 2013
The chief executive of LWMA Lena Desaubin said the reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We have received very good feedback from members of the public,” she said.
“We have even been asked to sell the benches and bins to the public as well, but we will only look into that possibility when we get the next consignment of benches.”
Ms Desaubin said it was high time for an upgrade to the facilities in town.
“We already had some benches in Victoria, but they were not in a good condition as they were quite old, so we felt it was time for us to look into it again and order some more benches.
“There were no benches on the pavement opposite Unity House, and people did not have anywhere to sit when they were waiting for somebody, so now we have put some little benches near the flower beds. We do look for ways and means to accommodate people while at the same time take care to protect the flowers in Victoria,” said Ms Desaubin.
She added that more of the benches have been placed in other locations as well, such as at the bus stop at Ile Persévérance and at various locations in Praslin and La Digue. It is planned that the bins will also be placed at all the bus stops on Mahe and in due course at bus stops on Praslin and La Digue.
The chief executive has said that a central locking system for all the bins will be arriving in a few weeks to prevent the lids from being damaged or removed, and said the bins will only be able to be opened by the waste management workers, who empty the city’s bins three times per day.
The benches, which are made from environmentally-friendly recycled materials, are of an adaptable design and can be fixed with or without back supports and can also be ordered in a triangular shape to be placed around tree trunks.
Ms Desaubin said that the old round benches outside Independence House will be removed and replaced with the new ones. She also mentioned that the old round stone seating areas in Market Street will be removed next week and replaced with large round palm tree pots similar to those in State House Avenue.
“We are trying to make Victoria a little bit more pleasant for everybody,” said Ms Desaubin.