Reclaiming land
That a case of illegal reclaiming of land went before the court is good news, because it highlights the need to prevent such occurrences in the future, in the interest of the environment, but also the safety and security of residents and their property. Just imagine what a hurricane with rainfall like Lenny in 1999 could do if the indiscriminate filling-in of land were to continue.
The entire issue must be seen in the context of the rapid economic development the island has seen. There was simply not enough land available and the local government to a certain decree encouraged the practice.
In fact, in this particular case the then Executive Council in 1975 committed itself to grant the business in question 1,700 square metres of Great Salt Pond, with the business requesting more in 1990. But the bodies of water in and around the Antillean islands formally belong to the Central Government, so the Finance Minister had to be approached.
The Executive Council in September 1991 issued a letter signed by the Lt. Governor and the Island Secretary stating that only after the Central Government transferred the reclaimed land in question to the Island Territory would a right of long lease be granted. Eight years passed during which the business reclaimed some 4,500 square metres, until the matter ended up in court and a settlement was reached.
The question now is whether government will go after others who illegally reclaimed land and may lack the right of long lease for such land as well. The case showed that in practice a settlement is the most likely scenario, especially if structures have already been built on the property.
More important than going after those who did it in the past, perhaps, is preventing it from happening again. According to the opposition, government has not been doing a good job at that, because the illegal reclaiming of land reportedly continues behind the Zoo and at Simpson Bay Lagoon.
If that is indeed the case, something must be done. The rules apply to everyone and it can’t be so that individuals are allowed to break them while law-abiding citizens are forced to look on.
The bodies of water may be primarily a Central Government affair, but it is in the interest of the island and its tourism economy that the practice of illegal filling-in of land is stopped, once and for all.
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