CGB beach 'filled with chairs; Impossible to get any space'- Resident complains
He was at the time a guest on Virgin Islands Voice on May 14, 2025, and during the public exchange, Hon Fraser was confronted with a question on the frustrations of many residents who feel alienated from popular beach spaces such as Cane Garden Bay.
It was put to the Minister, “If you go into a place like Cane Garden Bay, it is virtually impossible to get any space on the beach, as the entire coast is filled with chairs. So, it's marketed, and I understand that very well, for tourism and the tourists, but we who are bald and red-headed want to go to the beach for a few hours. It's virtually impossible for us to enjoy a few hours there without having to pay something off here at this point.”
Failure to comply
To his end, he noted, “I thought you were going to say you couldn't get on the beach because it was filled with people,” noting that such a scenario would indicate a thriving tourism sector. “I was going to say that’s a good thing. No, it's not that easy.”
The core of the issue, however, according to Hon Fraser, lies in the failure of vendors to comply with existing regulations on beach equipment placement. He explained saying, “So, what are these chairs doing? They're sitting there empty, and you can't get on the beach? Well, I’m talking for the policy. Our policy is that you take your chairs up in the evening, and you bring them out when you need them. I didn’t realise that they were crowding the beach with chairs.”
Hon Fraser also sought to further clarify that the Ministry of Environment has an explicit policy that requires all beach vendors to remove their equipment at the end of each day. “Anyone who wants to use the beach seeks permission — is supposed to seek permission from the ministry — and the ministry’s policy is that if you take your chairs up, you pick them up in the evening.”
Conceding there have been ongoing complaints about non-compliance, Hon Fraser did divulge, “I know there are complaints about some vendors who literally refuse to take them up on the grounds that it’s too labour-intensive, but I have to look into this.”
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24 Responses to “CGB beach 'filled with chairs; Impossible to get any space'- Resident complains”
This is just pure bulls****. If you want a space on CGB even on the busiest cruise day, the area down towards Indigo is always free and clear for the most part. Everything is a problem in this place!