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Landowners to get $$$ for Brandywine Bay beach development!

- Bertrand Lettsome hired as Consultant for MNR&L
This is the current condition of Brandywine Bay Beach. Photo: VINO
Lettsome is now a Consultant attached to the MNR&L. Photo: VINO
Lettsome is now a Consultant attached to the MNR&L. Photo: VINO
The road, according to Dr. Pickering, will have to be moved. Photo: VINO
The road, according to Dr. Pickering, will have to be moved. Photo: VINO
EAST END/LONG LOOK, Tortola, VI – Government through the Ministry for Natural Resources and Labour is on the verge of “cutting cheques” to compensate landowners, who will have to give up their land, for the major overhaul of Brandywine Bay beach.

Speaking at a community meeting last evening May 8, 2012, Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr. Kedrick Pickering, announced that for the future development of Brandywine Bay “the road would have to be moved”.

“The beach will be transformed into a major entertainment centre for locals and tourists...[but] landowners in the area are not interested in entertaining any discussions until their compensation claims are taken care of, and I am happy to report that we are almost in the final stages in finalising those claims to the point where we are cutting some cheques,” Hon. Pickering told a sizeable crowd at the East End/Long Look Community Centre.

During his debate in the House of Assembly (HOA) earlier in the year, the Natural Resources and Labour Minister had stated that is was “difficult and nearly impossible” to do any major development of that area with the road so close to the beach.

“And that entails some very detailed and sensitive discussions and negotiations with the land owners that surround there. One of the big problems that is outstanding is that there are patches of land on the beach front that the immediate landowners claim that they have outstanding claims on the land and we are working diligently to see how we could get those claims rectified, and as soon we can get that done, then the next step will be to enter some negotiations with the other land owners around, to see how best we could move the road from being so close to the beach to ensure that the beach front can be developed in a way without being inhibited by the closeness of the road,” he had explained.

Additionally, a bulletin on April 20, 2012, issued by the Ministry had invited property owners and/or beneficiaries of Parcels 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, Block 3237B, Long Look Registration Section, which are adjacent to the beach, to visit the Ministry before Friday, May 4.

The Brandywine Bay Beach Development Project commenced in 2004 with the aim of providing an alternate beach site for the over 500,000 cruise passengers who visit the Territory annually.

Furthermore, Hon. Pickering announced that his Ministry has secured the services of Bertrand Lettsome as a Consultant to the Ministry to tackle beach management, the East End/Fat Hog’s Bay Harbour project and the Terrance B. Lettsome Airport development.

Lettsome is the former Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer and an Independent At-Large Candidate in last year's general election.

29 Responses to “Landowners to get $$$ for Brandywine Bay beach development!”

  • critic (09/05/2012, 08:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    seems like they struck gold....where all this money coming from all of a sudden?
    • jost van dyke massive (09/05/2012, 10:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      but we done know they were never broke just political spin and popoganda...yu see NDP tinks we all went to school at night.
      • g (09/05/2012, 11:17) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Yu hit dey nail on dey head mehson
        • Albion (09/05/2012, 13:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
          Another consultant, more money, more pie in the sky developments for tourists who don't come here any more. It is a good thing the country is not broke. Wait a minute...
          • weed (09/05/2012, 14:48) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
            just a big trick for the NDP to meet the country full of money..leave it broke and then say they met it broke...set of smart men
  • my two cents (09/05/2012, 08:42) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    well saw another consutlant but still dem say Uncle Ralp leave them broke...
  • CGB resident (09/05/2012, 08:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    So put the zip line there...We don't need more tourist attractions in CGB. We already have jet skis, that are illegal everywhere else in the BVI. There would be less of an impact on residents there than in CGB. The Gov't has already dumped a ton of money into Brandywine, and nobody goes,,, give them a reason to use the new facilities.... On any given cruise ship day CGB looks like an ant colony, now throw in a zip line with people screaming their lungs out as they zip into the bay across the hundreds of people swimming, the boats anchored, its ridiculous, all because "2" locals can monopolize a public beach for their own profits. What happened to Natures Little Secret, do you honestly think people come to the BVI to zip line.... don't think so. And now the big charter yachts can pull into the harbor, (but not close), listen to the screaming all day and look at "2" big ugly towers.....come on Gov't use your brains for a change.
    • How much??? (09/05/2012, 10:56) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I wonder how much money it will cost them??
    • good idea (09/05/2012, 10:58) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Now that makes sense!!! Zip line on a man made beach
      • hmmmmm (09/05/2012, 11:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        I always thought it was stupid to have a man made beach in the first place!!!
        • Albion (09/05/2012, 17:30) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
          It *is* stupid. BVI has so many beautiful natural beaches. So why go and make an ugly artificial one?
    • Music (09/05/2012, 12:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      From my experience there isnt much screaming. Its not a roller coaster. The main noise is the wrrrrh or zing as the pulley goes down the wire. You have to be quite brave to attempt this, like bungy jumping. I wonder if they have done a business plan as to how many riders a day they can cover, and how much they have to charge to make a profit?
  • Iron Lion (09/05/2012, 09:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    LMAO! NDP making them sweat, they can't say anything about this one because Wasasha was never an NDP, what will be their cry this time? lololol lord this one sweet me. First Shaina then Washasha, who's next? Rope them in, give our people opportunities! When Kraus Manning got their contract nobody cared about how much it would be and where money coming from. ALl of a sudden a son of the soil getting his share is a problem. Take care of X, he's good people
  • jtv (09/05/2012, 10:43) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Land in this country is a serious thing good they paying the people dem for dem land
  • Am I crazy (09/05/2012, 10:57) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    By the way is it me or Brandywine Bay development is a waste of time??? call me crazy
  • Iron Lion (09/05/2012, 11:07) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    VIP wanted to develop the Brandywine Bay Beach too, this is nothing new. You all need to stop being so damn biased lololol. When Ralph and Omar were praising NDp for developing the beach you all were quiet. They had plans for the beach but all of them were on different pages that's why they self-destructed. Stop hating for politics sake man you all sickening for real. when vip for it its fine, when ndp for it, its a conspiracy. god help us we are surrounding by idiots and a**holes.
  • Waste of Time (09/05/2012, 11:57) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Wasn't alot of money already sunk into Brandywine beach? No one goes there. The taxi-men never took any cruise passengers there. Who wants to sit on the side of the road and swim with the weeds? I would love to see the bulk of the cruise ship passengers taken there instead of CGB but I can't see it really happening.
    • Not2Sure (09/05/2012, 13:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Never have. Never will. Waste of precious public money.
    • POOR MAN (10/05/2012, 05:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      it can be made a beach with the right plan and right people! as doc said the aorad needs to go....then we will see it could be a great place and potentially a nice area for a beach if its done right.
  • hmmm (09/05/2012, 14:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    So wait you mean to tell me ppl that are travel to the college and east end will have to go through the hill to get to town???? if that is so I don't approve of this
    • hmmm (09/05/2012, 14:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      travelling*
    • Noise (09/05/2012, 15:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Where did the report state that? they plan to move the road inland a little so the beach is not so close to the road, read carefully!
      • Strupes (10/05/2012, 07:40) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        move the road inland and just thinking about it made me scrreeeccchhhhhhhh. time goes on.
  • Migoman (09/05/2012, 22:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I against ALLLL AYOOOO set of Bloggers.! Go NDP, whatever you do fine, with me. VIP didnt do SQUAT!. DEVELOP DEVELOP DEVELOP!!!!
  • Yea Man (10/05/2012, 08:50) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Trying to make a beach is not so possible because beaches or natrual made so stop wasting tax payers money. Spent the money into building another high school or something of that nature.This will be like another stop light project gone bad.
  • Foolish (10/05/2012, 18:04) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ya all sound so stupid here , it makes me sick about where money come from blabla,it must be 15 year old blogging on this site. Seriously . Did the government not just pass a budget ? How much was it ? 2 cents , youall sound so silly, donttheyhave to have their own agenda ? They must manage what they have . If they choose to do that development and hire a consultant whats the problem . If they started digging up the place with no inviromentalist you will hear you all. It's funny how no one ain't talking about that $ 7,0000000 Hodge spend up their in the Farm and another $7 down in Purcell and another 3 million in Purcell on a comunity centre. That is just a few pennies right
  • RealTalk (11/05/2012, 08:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ay ya yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai. Tiz mass. Money pouring out the wazooo!
  • rodent (11/05/2012, 10:02) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I hope the government gives them adequate money so they can buy a NEW home at the current prices plus moving expenses.


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