UPDATE: Smuggler's Cove update likely in 2 months - Hon Fahie
Speaking to Virgin Islands News Online today May 27, 2013, Hon. Fahie said the committee, which was selected on the night of May 23 , 2013, will be meeting soon to make recommendations, review the proposed plan done by the Government and put alternatives to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering.
The committee was selected after residents rejected the proposed plan presented to them at a community meeting at the Abraham Leonard Community Centre.
Hon. Fahie said once the review is done it shouldn't take more than one month to do the necessary revision, take the people's suggestion into consideration and come up with a new plan.
"My concern is that the people's voice is heard and adhered to and that Smuggler's Cove remains as much as possible in its natural state," Hon. Fahie told Virgin Islands News Online.
See previous article posted on May 24, 2013
UPDATE: Govt sent back to drawing table with Smuggler's Cove plan
- committee selected to continue dialog & consultation
Government has been sent back to the drawing table after presenting its proposed drawings for the development of Smuggler's Cove in Tortola.
A community meeting was held last evening, May 23, 2013 at the Abraham Leonard Community Centre and facilitated jointly by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr the honourable Kedrick D. Pickering and Representative for the First District Honourable Andrew A. Fahie. This was in keeping with a commitment to the residents of the District and the two parties to bring the plan for the development of Smuggler's Cove before the people before starting any works on the project.
The Government spent several months with Cooper's Computerized Architectural Drafting Services (CADS), which is under the management of Carrot Bay resident Mr Charles L. Cooper Jr., coming up with the design intended to alleviate and grapple with a number of critical issues and situations of the Smuggler's Cove beach area.
According to Dr Pickering and Hon Fahie, the development must take place but it was agreed that its design must be one that residents are comfortable with. When the presentation was put forward last evening, persons flooded the panel with a flurry of questions. Most of the questions gave the impression that the plan needed much more work and consideration of a number of factors.
"They spoke their mind and they were able to give their ideas and their views about the proposed development," Hon Fahie said following the meeting. He reiterated that the Minister was true to his word to ensure that the people would be informed and their views would be taken into consideration.
"I thought it was a progressive meeting. It's a very delicate topic for one that has to be tackled, but tackled in the best interest of not only the present generation but our future generations," added Hon. Fahie.
The First District Representative said he was confident that the directions in which they are currently going, regarding the development of Smuggler's Cove, is the right one. He acknowledged that residents are not 100% comfortable with the present plan but that they have agreed to come up with something that would be a 'middle ground' because there were a lot of concerns.
"You can't please all but at least with the different views it could be takening into consideration and the best possible solution will come out of this meeting so that we could move forward." he said.
One of the main concerns voiced in a very candid environment was that of preserving the beach to allow it to remain in its natural state, which prompted the response from Hon. Pickeringthat the project would not affect the beach itself.
The question about the cost of the project matching the proposed designed was one that could not be answered based on the condition that several other processes would be necessary before arriving at a cost, according to both Dr Pickering and Hon Fahie.
To take the review process forward, a committee was select last night to meet and have further round table discussions before coming up with a plan that is likely to be more acceptable by residents and those concerned. The committee is headed by Hon Fahie.
See previous article posted on May 23, 2013
First District residents uncomfortable with proposed Smuggler's Cove plan
With a full house participation of residents at the Abraham Leonard Community Centre in the First District, many questions, pleas and suggestions are being posed in relation to the presentation of a draft proposal for the development of Smuggler's Cove.
It is not an environment of a very happy people given the concerns being raised by residents at the meeting called by First District Representative Hon. Andrew A. Fahie this evening, May 23, 2013. Among the main concerns raised are the alleged destruction of the beach area from its natural state, the absence of a feasibility study for the area prior to the drafting of the development plan and economic activities on the beach.
Some of the comments that pulled loud rounds of applause and other supportive reactions include, "Give us a chance to doing this without doing that."
"I don't understand how you can do a plan of this magnitude and not do a feasibility study, I really cannot understand that."
"This, if I am correct is the only beach on the whole of Tortola that is in its natural state and we want to see it remain that way,” were just some of the expressions of residents of the First District.
The view was also expressed that a previous plan that was drafted is much better than the one being proposed by Government.
Persons lashed out at the National Parks Trust, claiming that it has a good reputation of building but not maintaining.
Several persons posed the question about the cost, however, Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering said it was impossible to determine a cost as it would be necessary to go through a number of procedures.
One child stood up and appealed that the area be maintained in its natural state as tourists find much pleasure in nature as opposed to buildings.
It has been announced that a group would be selected to discuss the furtherance of the proposal.
More details to follow.
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43 Responses to “UPDATE: Smuggler's Cove update likely in 2 months - Hon Fahie”
"...preserving the beach to allow it to remain in its natural state, which prompted the response from Hon. Pickering that the project would not affect the beach itself."
Pickering is without a doubt the most willfully igno***t man in the BVI. Possibly the whole Caribbean. Such a combination of arrog**** and stupi***y is rarely seen in this day and age.
what makes government think that some of these issues don't apply to their plan? For a government wanting to be "green", here is a chance for them to chose the right thing and protect Smugglers as is. This is the calling card of BVI not a crafts alive, entertainment/ recreation centre. no more building. there is a building there to remodel.
Smugglers is intimate and small. It was listed in a travel magazine as a "hidden gem", adding to the mystique and adventure of visiting the BVI. Why would anyone want to put down their towel in front of a mini-shopping mall and activity which disturbs the quiet. Less is more. More is less. leave it alone. leave it silent. leave it relaxing and special. Save one beach on either end, Long Bay Beef Island and Smugglers Cove.
No one dares to go to those areas for fear of catching "something"!
It would be amazing to see if our government would allow cholera remains to be exposed to humans and the environment.
That is one beach I will never go to!
"You can sheer a sheep many times but you can only slaughter him once"- wise blogger
"nothing about us without us is for us"-- south African saying
Ignorant shortsighted self, you should talk about selfish.
The trouble with a lot of my fellow BVIslanders is they have had easy money from tourism for so long that they have no understanding of what attracted those tourists in the first place and how easy it would be to lose them.