The Government of Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming faced a barrage of thorny issues put forward by residents of West End and Long Bay at the first of a series of town hall meetings organised to hear and address matters of concern to the people of Anguilla.

Those at the head table during the meeting at the Methodist Church Hall in West End on Tuesday evening were Mr. Fleming and Ministers Victor Banks, Kenneth Harrigan and Evans Rogers, Elected Representative for the district and Parliamentary Secretary, Albert Hughes, and Special Assistant for Public Relations, Curtis Richardson. Those on the floor were mainly members of the West End/Long Bay Concerned Group led by Anderson Fleming as well as other persons from the district.

Citizens of West End/Long Bay village

The issues put forward by the Concerned Group included complaints about difficulties with public access to beaches in the areas of a number of tourism properties; encroachments on Crown and private land, unsatisfactory access to the fishermen’s wharf in the Cove area; hindrances to public road ways; high mounds of dirt near private residencies and the hauling of dirt by uncovered trucks causing a dust hazard to a number of persons. The residents demanded quick action by Government and in some cases called for written agreements to ensure them that steps would be taken to address their concerns. A number of speakers said they were aware there was a price to pay for development, but pointed out that there were certain matters which the Government and the developers could deal with to promote harmony and goodwill in the community.

Members of the Anguilla Government

The Chief Minister and his colleagues told the meeting that many of their complaints were being addressed and that a number of the developers had been instructed to take corrective action, some within specified time frames. The people were assured that Ministers of Government would accompany them to such sites as the Viceroy project to have a firsthand look at some of the problems including the dust nuisance which residents were complaining about.

One of the other matters that came up was the ownership situation with Cap Juluca. Mr. Fleming and Mr. Banks led the discussions on this matter. They pointed out among other things that the owners, locked in a longstanding dispute, had been told to divest themselves of Cap Juluca and that Government had drawn up certain requirements for the sale of the property.
The Government officials said two serious companies had come forward with proposals to purchase the property. One was the Gencom Group which arrived at an agreement with Mr. Deon Friedland to pay him 110 million US dollars for the property. Gencom’s desire, along with another US partner, is to substantially expand the hotel by constructing a large number of additional villas and other facilities. The people were told that Government’s position was that any purchase of Cap Juluca must include 20 % Anguillian ownership, but that Gencom had offered only 5% which they were asked to reconsider.

The next company is ANTIL/Auberge-Firesky, an Anguillian/foreign partnership with the Anguilla investors securing 34%. The Government’s position is that ANTIL is the most organised local group vying for an ownership share in Cap Juluca but that the opportunity to be part-owner is not only limited to ANTIL but includes any other Anguillian institution or company which may come forward.

The people were also told that the Government’s position was that the Cap Juluca brand, which had served Anguilla so well, must be maintained and no expansion beyond 200 rooms would be permitted. In addition, no development would be allowed on part of Cove Beach as that area would be reserved for a national park.

Chief Minister Fleming said Government was concerned about the workers who were caught up in the uncertainty of the hotel. He emphasised that the resort, built on Crown Land at Maundays Bay, would not be allowed to close down and that Government was therefore taking quick action to deal with the situation.

“I know that we have a nervous set of people working at Cap Juluca. I want to assure them that our goal is to have Cap Juluca settled by the 31st of March,” Mr. Fleming pledged. He added that he and his colleagues would be going to the resort to meet with the staff in due course.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News