The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration has not reported any meaningful progress toward ensuring that one of the access points to Cabbage Beach is always opened.

Some residents were upset to find a closed gate when trying to get to the Paradise Island beach over the holiday weekend.

In April 2022, former Office of the Prime Minister Press Secretary Clint Watson said the Ministry of Tourism was talking to Access Industries, the company that owns the land providing entry to the popular beach, about the matter.

“There is no issue of access just east of Riu,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Chester Cooper said yesterday. “I believe the gate that you are referring to may be the Eastern Gate, which is sometimes closed on the weekends. We continue to work with the police and, of course, the property owners in the immediate vicinity to see how we could cause there to be a constant opening of that gate. There have been some concerns there and we’re working along with the Tourism Promotion Board.”

He said officials are working with the property owners “to acquire some equipment, ATVs, etc, to give the police a little bit more mobility, to ensure that there is control in the area from any type of nefarious activities”.

He added: “We are committed to ensuring that the Bahamian people have full unrestricted beach access. And we are committed to ensuring that people are able to make an honest living.”

When the entry point to the beach was closed in 2021, the company said this was for safety purposes while clearing work for a hotel was being done.

Former Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said at the time, the move blindsided him.