The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE proposed Cabbage Beach development has received the necessary government approvals, but there is still no timeline for construction to begin as developers work to resolve outstanding administrative matters.

Dr Rhianna Neely-Murphy, director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, said the developers had secured the required approvals from government agencies, but must resolve outstanding administrative issues before presenting the public and government with details of how the project will proceed. “What is happening now is that some administrative issues are being addressed, and once those have been addressed, Cabbage Beach and the developers should come back to the Bahamian people and the government with the rollout of how the development will roll out,” she told reporters yesterday.

Dr Neely-Murphy said there was no confirmed timetable for the project's rollout, explaining that the department was waiting for the developer to indicate when it would be in a position to move forward.

The development, known as the Four Seasons Ocean Club Residences, is a proposed $550m project on a 6.1-acre property between the RIU Paradise Island resort and Sunrise Beach Villas. 

The plans include 67 private residences and have been the subject of longstanding public concern over access to Cabbage Beach, particularly for Bahamian vendors whose livelihoods depend on the popular tourist destination.Controversy surrounding the project intensified this summer after a fence was erected around the construction site, prompting vendors to protest over concerns that the barrier restricted public access to the shoreline and threatened their businesses.

The dispute prompted government intervention and calls for the fence's removal.

Cabbage Beach vendors were later relocated to Goodman’s Bay because of construction-related activity linked to the development. However, the move has created tensions with existing vendors at Goodman’s Bay, who have accused the relocated vendors of encroaching on established business spaces and harassing tourists.

Under the development agreement, there must be public beach access even during construction, including alternative access routes, while the developer has committed to providing a permanent 15-foot-wide public right-of-way once the project is completed. Existing vendors are also expected to receive preference for vending opportunities within the completed development.

However, questions about public access, vendor accommodation and transparency surrounding the project's approvals have continued. 

In October, advocacy group Dis We Beach called on the government to publish the development's environmental approvals, assessments and plans governing access to the beach during construction.