The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Environmental activists yesterday challenged the government on whether it is breaching its obligation to use crown land in the Bahamian people’s best interests with the Paradise Island lease to Royal Caribbean.

Joe Darville, Save the Bays’ chairman, in a statement said the cruise line’s $110m Royal Beach Club was seemingly not in the interests of Bahamian entrepreneurs and other cruise-reliant industries given that it will suck “thousands of passengers” away from downtown Nassau when it opens in January 2023.

Describing the group as “greatly encouraged” by Tribune Business’ revelation that Royal Caribbean is still waiting on the government to approve and execute its lease of seven to ten crown land acres on western Paradise Island, Mr Darville said: “Hopefully this is a sign that the government is giving serious attention the many public interest issues at stake.

“Crown land lease approval should never be just a rubber stamp. The government must always remember that, according to the constitution, it does not own such land, but rather holds it in trust for the benefit of the Bahamian people. This consideration should always be at the forefront when applications by developers are being considered.

“In this case, it is far from clear that Royal Caribbean’s plan to locate a mega-excursion on Paradise Island is in the interest of Bahamians generally. First of all, it would remove thousands of cruise passengers on a weekly basis from severely struggling downtown Nassau, taking them to shop and eat instead at Royal Caribbean’s own stores and restaurants across the harbour,” Mr Darville added.

“It will certainly impact the livelihood of the taxi drivers, who currently make a living transporting cruise passengers to and from Paradise Island, as Royal Caribbean plans to ferry the passengers to their own property instead.

“With such a controversial project threatening to impact so many Bahamians in so many ways, Royal Caribbean cannot have the audacity to assume that the process can be rushed through or simply rubber-stamped. They should remember that other developers have tried that and been halted in their tracks, tied up in the courts for years.”

Russell Benford, Royal Caribbean’s vice-president of government relations for the Americas, last week confirmed that an executed lease was part of the approvals the cruise line is still seeking for a Royal Beach Club development it had initially hoped to begin construction on next month.

That target is now likely to be missed, and Mr Darville added: “The company is nowhere near completion of the approval process, under which a variety of regulatory agencies must give official permission before construction can commence.

“If (not when) Royal Caribbean does achieve full approval, it will only come after a rigorous and lengthy exercise, which must be undertaken with full transparency and under the scrutiny of all affected Bahamians, including environmental advocates.

“In particular, the company has not completed – and may not have officially begun – the environmental approval process as mandated by the Environmental Planning and Protection Act. They have not yet released an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which by law must be published on their website a minimum of 21 days before public consultation even begins.”

He continued: “The environmental approval process, overseen by our enlightened director of environmental planning and protection [Rochelle Newbold], is not to be taken lightly; it must involve real and comprehensive analysis of possible environmental impacts along with thorough and meaningful public consultation.

“A stone’s thrown away from what is by far the largest population centre in the country, the proposed project raises huge questions regarding environmental impact, including marine and even water table pollution. The beautiful beach on the north-west, and the nearby reef systems, will no doubt be heavily impacted, as will adjoining properties and those on the north coast of New Providence.”

Questions have been asked as to whether the Town Planning Committee, and Department of Physical Planning, could hold a public consultation on Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island plans when the cruise line has yet to obtain an executed Crown Land lease for a parcel that includes several acres which are presently the subject of Supreme Court legal action involving a rival developer.

Royal Caribbean has steadily amassed around 13.5 acres on Paradise Island’s western end by buying out private landowners in the area, but it is also seeking to lease some ten acres of crown land in the Colonial Beach area to complete its development.

This has brought it into potential conflict with Toby Smith, the Bahamian entrepreneur behind the Paradise Island Lighthouse & Beach Club Company proposal, who is seeking himself to lease two crown land parcels at Paradise Island’s western end, one of which involves two acres around the lighthouse and another three acres for the “beach break” element of his own $2m project.

Mr Smith’s court action is alleging that he was granted a valid crown land lease over both parcels, including the lighthouse and the area at Colonial Beach for his “beach break” destination, which is now legally binding. The case is based on a January 7, 2020, letter from Richard Hardy, acting director of Lands and Surveys, that was headlined “approval for crown land lease” over the two tracts he wanted.