The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A CONTROVERSIAL fence erected at Cabbage Beach for a private development is to be removed following government intervention, with vendors and watersports operators fearing the construction could threaten their livelihoods and restrict access to the popular beach.

The Ministry of Tourism said it was “deeply regrettable” that the developers proceeded with the erection of the fence despite being asked to engage further with the government before beginning the work.

It said an initial meeting had been held with the developers, during which their plans for the area were outlined. The parties subsequently agreed that ministry representatives and the developers would conduct a site walk-through to examine the proposed works and better understand their potential impact on vendors.

However, that site visit never took place. The ministry said that when it was later informed that work was set to begin, the developers were again asked to meet before proceeding so there could be a clear understanding of how the work would be carried out and how affected vendors would be accommodated.

“Regrettably, the fence was erected before that further engagement occurred,” the ministry said.

The Ministry of Tourism has now been advised, following intervention by the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), that the fence will be removed. The removal will allow discussions between the developers, the Ministry of Tourism, DEPP and affected vendors to continue on an appropriate way forward, including how vendors can be accommodated while addressing DEPP’s concerns about protecting the area from beach erosion.

The development had sparked concern among vendors and jet ski operators who said the fence appeared to be extending into areas where they conduct business and could ultimately reach the entrance used by tourists, including cruise passengers. They were also concerned that they would be forced to operate much closer to the shoreline, where some vendors said they could not safely conduct their businesses.

Freetown MP Lincoln Deal intervened after receiving complaints from vendors in his constituency and said fencing work had been paused following his contact with the developer and government officials.

“There’s a lot of residents from the Freetown constituency that work on this beach and have been working on this beach for decades,” Mr Deal said. “Cabbage Beach is a public beach, and public beaches are for Bahamians. There are laws in place as it relates to beaches, and if you look at where that fence is, it’s well ahead of the high water mark.”

Mr Deal said the issue was particularly important because vendors depend on the beach for their livelihoods.

“You have Bahamians out here who make their bread and butter, their livelihoods being disenfranchised, and I stand with the vendors,” he said. “I want to ensure that they’re able to continue to conduct their business once it’s within the law.”

He said vendors should be able to operate provided they are properly certified, licensed and complying with the law.

“You can’t erect a fence almost to the waterline and expect these vendors to be able to make a living,” Mr Deal said. “You’re basically boxing out the beach, and you’re crowding the beach.”

Rashonda Key, owner of Caribbean Spot, said the beach business has enabled her to support her family as a disabled entrepreneur.

“I’m a disabled boss,” she said. “So I can’t walk, and no way I going close to the ocean because I can’t swim. We can’t operate no services from by that shoreline.”

Ms Key said vendors received little warning before the fencing work began and feared their equipment could have been locked behind the fence had construction continued.

“When they put up the pole by the shoreline, they didn’t have any respect for us,” she said. “They didn’t even tell us anything. All we see is them putting the fence around all our stuff.”

She estimated that about 30 vendors remain on the beach, down from more than 100 in previous years.

“I feel like they shouldn’t do this to us,” she said. “I feel like they should allow us to work. Or if you want to take our job, find somewhere to put us.”

Alexis Lloyd, who has operated a chair and umbrella business on Cabbage Beach for 26 years and also provides souvenirs, towel rentals and watersports, said the fence could have affected the visitor experience as well as vendors’ incomes. He warned that vendors could stage further protests if the matter was not resolved.

“It’ll be more protests,” he said. “You got to be careful when you’re messing with people’s livelihood.”

Jet ski operator Mr Major said cruise passengers are an important source of business and that restricting the entrance could prevent tourists from reaching the operators. He said an adequate pathway would be necessary if access is changed.

“We normally depend on people from the cruise ship sometimes,” he said. “But how the fence getting in our way it becoming a problem now because it stopping the guests from coming down to us. This how we feed our kids and this our daily bread. This what we depend on, the cruise ship people.”

Tatiana Key, a mobile vendor who sells beach wraps and bags and provides hair-braiding services, said she has worked on Cabbage Beach since childhood.

“I’ve been on this beach from I was a little girl growing up because my mommy became a hair braider in 1989,” she said. “So I grow up on this beach. It’s the only job I know. I have never had another job.”

Ms Key said vendors feared being pushed outside the fence and forced to operate at the waterline.

“They want us outside the fence, so that’s by the water line,” she said. “They want us to set up in the water.”

She said the uncertainty was particularly concerning with the new school year approaching.

“Most of us out here as women, I could speak for, we’re single mothers,” she said. “School is about to open. Both of my kids go to private [school]. We have school lunch to buy, books to buy. We ain’t know how we gone make it.”

The advocacy group Dis We Beach has also called on the government to investigate the fencing and protect public access to Cabbage Beach and the livelihoods of vendors.

The group said vendors arrived to find fencing being erected in areas where they operate and were told they could face arrest if they interfered with construction. It also said a sign at the entrance declared the beach temporarily closed. Dis We Beach founder Selina Archer said the situation demonstrates the need for stronger laws protecting public beach access.

“Bahamians should not have to rely on promises from developers, individual agreements or public pressure to protect access to our beaches,” she said. “The government must establish laws that clearly protect public access, the foreshore and the rights of Bahamians who depend on these spaces for their livelihoods.”

Dis We Beach said while the foreshore between the high- and low-water marks is public under the Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority Act, the legislation does not guarantee access routes to beaches.

The group is calling for an investigation into whether the fencing violated public rights, protection for affected vendors, enforcement of existing beach protections and legally protected and mapped access points across the country.

The Ministry of Tourism stressed that the government’s priority is to ensure Bahamians continue to benefit economically from the country’s tourism industry.

“We will have zero tolerance for the economic displacement of Bahamians whose livelihoods depend on participation in the tourism economy,” the ministry said.

It also reminded the developers of their commitment to compensate affected vendors where appropriate and to ensure Bahamians share in the economic opportunities and spin-off benefits generated by the development.

“Environmental protection and economic opportunity can and must coexist,” the ministry said. “The way forward requires consultation, cooperation and a solution that protects the beach while safeguarding the livelihoods of Bahamians.”