The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A CABINET minister last night asserted that the developer consortium behind the Four Seasons Ocean Club Residences project will be ordered for the second time to take down the temporary Cabbage Beach fence designed to protect the public and visitors during construction

Zane Lightbourne, minister of environment and natural resources, in a statement alleged that the developer had installed the fence - designed to facilitate works that will also address Cabbage Beach’s erosion - without giving the Government, its agencies and the public adequate notice.

His comments came after Lincoln Deal, the Opposition MP for Freetown, and other protesters returned to Cabbage Beach yesterday, where they said they rescued a 60-year-old RIU guest from drowning after she slid into the sea while attempting to pass the fence.

Noting that fence not only threatens the livelihoods of Bahamian beach vendors but also the tourism product, Mr Deal pointed to what he said are safety hazards.

Mr Lightbourne, in his statement, said the Government “has an uncompromising position on Bahamians' access to local beaches” and this position applies to every developer. He added that the approval for erection of the fence was to be accompanied by advanced notice to the relevant government authorities.

“The Government recognises the need for beach nourishment and restoration works at Cabbage Beach to address erosion and the effects of sustained wave action,” he said. “As part of the environmental approval for these works, provision was made for the temporary installation of fencing to protect the public during construction and beach nourishment activities.

“However, that approval was accompanied by a clear understanding that adequate notice would be provided to the relevant government authorities before the temporary fence was erected, and that a proper public advisory process would take place so that beachgoers, vendors, residents, visitors and other affected stakeholders were informed in. Neither occurred.”

Because the agreed notice was not provided, the Government has advised that the fence must be removed, according to Mr Lightbourne. “The developer will be formally advised of the Government's position and directed to remove the fence,” he said. “Should the developer fail to comply with that directive, the Ministry of Works will take the necessary steps to remove it.

“The Government remains committed to addressing beach erosion and ensuring that the required restoration works can proceed safely. However, these works must be carried out in a manner that respects public access, follows the agreed process and properly considers the safety and livelihoods of Bahamians and the experience of visitors.

“The Government's position is clear: Beach restoration can proceed, but the process must respect the Bahamian people and the conditions under which approval was granted.”

Mr Deal said the woman who nearly drowned yesterday was attempting to walk from one end of Cabbage Beach to the other when she was forced to navigate around the fence and was pulled into the water.

“She was trying to pass from one end of the beach to the next,” he said. “So she had to go along where the fence is and the current pulled her in. She had to ride the fence to get down to the next part of the beach.”

Mr Deal said several people on the beach, including himself, went into the water to rescue the woman after bystanders raised the alarm.

“And it took us a while to get to her because what happened is the waves continued to pull her deeper and deeper into the ocean side,” Mr Deal said. “And so we had to swim for her. We brought her in, and we tried to apply CPR among other precautionary measures.”

Mr Deal said he called an ambulance and the woman was taken to hospital for urgent care. He said the woman was visiting the island for her birthday today.

The incident came as Mr Deal and other protesters returned to Cabbage Beach on Sunday to object to fencing and poles installed along the beach, which he said appeared to be positioned near or in the water.

“We had gone out there today because we noticed that the fence, the poles, magically appeared again,” Mr Deal said. He said Sunday marked one month since the dispute over the fence began, with the fencing previously being installed and subsequently removed following public outcry.

Mr Deal added that while he understood that development-related work may be necessary to address beach erosion, such work should comply with the law and should not compromise public access or safety.

“This morning we assembled at Cabbage Beach, where once again, we advocated and protested against the fence being on the water side, which was basically in the water,” Mr Deal said. “We understand the concerns that the development may have as it relates to some of the work that has to be done, but it has to be done within the constraints of the law.

“Although the vendors may have to relocate, tourists who are staying at the RIU or the neighbouoring resorts will still may want to walk down the beach, and with this fence being there, the same thing can happen. She was blessed because people were on the beach. But imagine if nobody was on the beach, and she was simply trying to walk by. She would have drowned.”

Mr Deal said some vendors have reportedly been relocated, while others were still waiting for formal arrangements and written confirmation.

“There are many others who have still not been officially relocated, nor have they received anything in writing,” he said. “And there’s a good bit of them who mentioned that they did not receive any compensation.”

Mr Deal said he had been advised that some vendors have received some form of compensation, but he could not confirm who provided it or how many vendors had been paid.

“I’m not certain who would have provided compensation, but I’m advised that there’s allegedly some vendors who received some type of compensation,” Mr Deal said.

He also raised concerns about the physical conditions around an alternative access point being provided for beach users. He said there was a significant drop in the area being left for access, creating difficulties for tourists and others attempting to reach the beach.

“The entire thing is chaos,” Mr Deal said. “They’re putting fencing up without making sure that other measures are already put in place to accommodate for the shift and/or the change.”

In a statement issued Friday, advocacy group Dis We Beach questioned who authorised the proposed fence and pilings, and called on the Government to publicly disclose the surveyed boundary of the works and its relationship to the mean high-water mark.

The group said the Government has cited “severe beach erosion” as the reason for the fencing and pilings, but argued that the public should be provided with the evidence supporting that assessment.

Dis We Beach also questioned whether development approvals included conditions protecting public beach access, and whether the environmental approval process considered the potential social and economic effects on beach vendors, taxi drivers, tour operators and the wider tourism economy.

The group called for the Government to identify the authority that approved the fence and pilings, the law under which the approval was granted and any conditions attached to it.

It also asked the Government to disclose who will pay for the works, how beach users and vendors will be accommodated while construction is underway, and when any temporary barriers will be removed.

The group further questioned the role of the Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority, noting that its statutory functions include matters relating to public beaches, beach access and coastal erosion.

Mr Deal said whichever government agency is responsible should act urgently. “Again, I’m calling on the Government, whichever agency is responsible, whether it’s the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Tourism, to quickly resolve this situation,” he said.

“And most importantly, I am advocating and calling for the Government to urgently remove that fence today for multiple reasons, with the latter being today a tourist almost lost her life because of that fence.”