The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir:

It is amazing how expert negotiators are able to cloud issues in their own favour and when folks are off on an unimportant tangent somewhere in left field they are able to zero in and win what they aimed for in the first instance. It is too late now for persons to discuss the pros and cons of having dolphin pens in Anguilla. They are here and most of us have no objections to that. The real issue facing Anguillians is where to locate this new facility.

Its original location was great and affected no beach area. Somewhere in the sea may be a good idea but seems unrealistic. Who is going to clean up the wreckage when a hurricane or perhaps a heavy ’ground sea’ smashes the pens to pieces? The proposed area in Blowing Point is as unstable as are most sandy areas. Sometimes it is possible to walk across to the little reef off shore and at other times the water is about five to six feet deep. Just how will anyone hope to access this pen without encroaching, privatising or simply taking a “cut” of our beach? I understand the beaches of Anguilla are what is known as “The Queen’s foreshore”, and therefore public areas for the people of Anguilla. Nobody is above the law, and subsequently, not the Planning Department, nor the Chief Minister, nor the Governor, and not even the Queen (except by an Act of Parliament or some such decree) should be able to carve up portions of the beach at the request of private enterprise. Build the dolphin pens but please leave our beaches out of the scenario. Why does this enterprise necessitate a sandy beach anyway? It must be cheaper and easier to use a beach than some part of the rocky shore !
Does anyone really realize what is happening to our beaches? (1) At Shoal Bay west, a part of the access route (granted to the fishermen of Anguilla by the late Rupert Carty) has already been sliced off to facilitate a private villa. (2) When was the last time you visited Long Bay beach? (You can’t, because there is no public access to this beach.) (3) When was the last time you walked on Barnes Bay Beach? (You can’t, it is all blocked off.) (4) Now, there are plans to carve out a piece of the Blowing Point Beach for private use. (5) The beach access to Rendezvous Beach is private property, located on the property of Mr. Walton Fleming. Locals and tourists alike have used this access for years. I recently asked him if he could clean up the area as it would enhance his property as well. He informed me that the area is in discussion with the neighbours next door, who seemingly want to take away all the pond, including what parking there is presently in the pond area, for private enterprise. (6) At a small beach in the Corito area a fence has been erected across the adjoining property effectively blocking out any access to the so-called public beach.(?)
Again, we ask the question, who is negotiating for the good of Anguillians? Is somebody still exerting some sort of ‘pressure’ somewhere? Do planners still depend on out-dated maps or do they go out in the field and “see” what would be the best way to solve any problems? Most Anguillians are people who are being taken advantage of by the most suspect of all - our own leaders. How is this sort of ‘planning’ allowed to go on for so long and when will we see a change towards a united front with reasonable, and acceptable plans for the satisfaction for all concerned?

Just asking.

Thank you,
Violet Berry

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