Concerned Citizens Protest Marina/Regatta Project At Rendezvous Bay, Cul De Sac

The following article was submitted to The Anguillian for publication.

Local citizens, homeowners and owners of business properties (including a number of locally-owned businesses) located at the Rendezvous Bay/Cul de Sac area are protesting a proposal for a Yacht Marina/Regatta to be placed at Rendezvous Bay/Cul de Sac.

A developer by the name of Gianfranco Comparetti has submitted an application to the Land Development Control Committee (“the Committee”) for a yacht club at the site of the Callaloo Club at Cul de Sac. This includes a 90-foot dock with marina facilities and installation of 21 moorings. It appears that the Environmental Impact Assessment, that was requested by the Committee and submitted by a company known as BioImpact, was insufficient as it did not address all of the issues and concerns that the Committee required to be addressed. As a result the application was deferred until the issues and concerns were addressed.

Mr. Comparetti, however, has since requested that a temporary permit be granted to hold a Regatta at the same site at Cul de Sac and is urging that the Committee expedite the granting of this temporary permit in order for the Regatta to be held in May 2003. Many of the local citizens, homeowners and owners of business properties are concerned as to the haste with which the temporary proposal is being addressed, especially since damage to the environment will be sustained, even temporarily.

The local citizens, homeowners and owners of business properties question why the Regatta must be held at Rendezvous Bay as opposed to Sandy Ground. Sandy Ground has Customs, Immigration and Police Departments, restaurants, a marine store and docks, all the infrastructure that Rendezvous Bay lacks. Further, Rendezvous Bay is a protected Bay, is an area where turtles are known to hatch their eggs and is a mile of white sand and pristine waters which is frequented by locals and tourists alike.

The rules of the Committee require that Mr. Comparetti must address, among other things:
· what is to happen with the waste that is to be released by the vessels in the Bay,
· the degree of impact of coastal and soil erosion,
· parking, access and volume of persons and traffic in the area related to the project,
· the ability of emergency vehicles to move in an out of the area,
· crowd control,
· what can be done to ensure that the Rendezvous Bay/Cul de Sac is not permanently damaged by the activities of the Regatta.

The Committee must also realize that the damage to the environment will occur regardless of whether the project is “temporary” or not. The Committee, and the Government of Anguilla, must therefore adhere to their own policies and established procedures for approving applications of this nature.

In addition, the public has not been given an opportunity to comment on the temporary application that is being considered by the Committee and the Government of Anguilla. This application must therefore be open to public comment, given the lasting and damaging effects to the environment at the Rendezvous Bay/Cul de Sac area.

While the local citizens, homeowners and owners of business properties welcome the idea of a Regatta, it is generally felt that the location at Rendezvous Bay/Cul de Sac is not appropriate. Holding the Regatta at Sandy Ground will not only satisfy most, if not all, of the issues and concerns to be addressed by the Committee, but the environmental and social impacts will be less at Sandy Ground, given the current uses of Sandy Ground, its infrastructure and availability of parking.
This is not an issue solely for persons in the Rendezvous Bay/Cul de Sac area but for all Anguillians, including those who use the area for fishing and recreation. The beauty of Anguilla’s beaches are a major attraction for the tourists, which are a mainstay of Anguilla’s economy. While development is welcomed, it must be reasoned, planned and not sacrifice Anguilla’s natural resources.

Editor’s note: The above article was submitted to The Anguillian for publication on behalf of the Concerned Citizens of Rendezvous Bay/Cul De Sac and represents their views.

- Contributed