Joseph Blasts Baptiste Over Pearns Point

Details

Latest

Tuesday, 22 May 2012 02:30

By Everton Barnes

Antigua St John's - Representative for St Mary’s North Molwyn Joseph is blasting Agriculture Minister Hilson Baptiste for his handling of the dispute over access to the beach at Pearns Point, where developers of a hotel project there had placed a gate across the road to bar access to the beach.

Joseph, in whose constituency the area lies, said when he first learned of the development that caused much displeasure among resident of Jennings, he initially laid the blame at the feet of the developers, Orange Ltd.

But the opposition parliamentarian said he has since met with representatives of the developers, and after an extensive meeting and a tour of the site, he is now convinced that Baptiste handled the matter wrong.

“I met with the developers and I am learning that the decision to place a gate across the road was done at the behest of the minister," Joseph said."But the minister is out of order to grant such permission. In fact, he acted illegally, because the Physical Planning Act does not speak of a minister giving permission to construct any structure. Instead, it speaks of the Chief Town and Country planner."

Joseph said there was a second meeting on Monday with the developers, and this time the acting Town and Country Planner, Fredrick Southwell, was also present.

During that meeting, Joseph said a number of suggestions were discussed on ways to find an amicable solution to the issue. “We arrived at a number of tentative solutions to the problem that met both objectives; providing access to the beach for locals while at the same time, making it possible for the development to take place,” he said.

He said one of the recommendations was to erect a barrier that that would allow cars, SUV’s, and small pickups to enter, but which would make it difficult for heavy duty equipment to pass. Another suggestion included building a road network, as part of the development, that provides access to the beach for locals, with a link to take homeowners to their properties.

The former tourism minister said he is convinced that the developers’ action was motivated by a need to end the illegal sand mining taking place in the area.

“They have agreed to spend considerable sums of their own money to restore the beach, because I suspected that part of their own marketing strategy involved selling the idea of a typical white sand beach to prospective buyers,” Joseph said.

CTCP Southwell said the recommendations from Monday’s meeting will go before a meeting summoned by the prime minister for Wednesday, when all stakeholders will discuss the various issues involved.

The situation at Pearns Point grabbed national attention when Minister of State Chanlah Codrington enlisted a backhoe to tear down the gate erected by Orange Ltd.

• < Prev
• Next >