NOT AGAIN: Paradise Island beach vendors embroiled in another battle over beach access

NOT AGAIN: Paradise Island beach vendors embroiled in another battle over beach access
A group of vendors holds a demonstration outside of Cabbage Beach on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

Developer claims access was barred due to safety concerns amid ongoing construction

D’Aguilar: Vendors have an inalienable right to be there

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Dozens of Cabbage Beach vendors protested at the entrance of the Paradise Island beach yesterday after allegedly thousands of dollars in property and goods were removed from the beach overnight and a fence was erected blocking the access point.

A sign posted adjacent to a Cabbage Beach access point on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

Their equipment and goods were stacked up on the side of the road, and an adjacent sign read: “Material that was removed from this property will be available for pick up here until Friday, June 18.”

Irate vendors said they were not advised by the developers of the private property next to the entrance of the beach about the action.

Police stood by as they took apart a portion of the fence, uprooted it and proceeded to the beach with the wares in hand.

In a statement yesterday afternoon, Access Industries, the developer, said the path to the beach was closed due to “safety concerns” as clearing work on the privately-owned vacant tract had begun for a condominium-hotel development.

A vendor in the process of taking apart a portion of a fence barring access to Cabbage Beach on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

The project is expected to generate more than $250 million in economic activity, as well as jobs in construction, tourism and related sectors, and involve continued local participation featuring Bahamian workers, artisans and others, including in its restaurants and retail offerings to the public, according to the developer.

Access Industries noted that the public can still readily access the beach at Beach Club Drive, off Paradise Island Drive, or consider Junkanoo Beach or Montagu Beach on New Providence.

In an interview with Eyewitness News, Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar said his ministry was “blindsided” by the developer’s move.

A group of vendors holds a demonstration outside of Cabbage Beach on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

“I had no idea that the project was moving forward in the vein that they decided to do it,” he said, adding that he spoke to Access Industries and advised them to “stand down” and reassess the situation.

D’Aguilar acknowledged the vendors have been operating for decades and have an “inalienable right to be there”.

He also said the government intends to engage in discussions on how to proceed.

Meanwhile, Shanendon Cartwright, executive chairman of the Bahamas Public Parks & Public Beaches Authority, emphasized the authority’s commitment to Bahamians having “full and unobstructed access to all public beaches” and said the authority was working diligently to resolve the matter.

A still from video footage of a vendor protest outside of Cabbage Beach in March 2016.

Protestors cried shame on Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, underscoring that while in opposition, he stood alongside vendors in support of a similar plight they faced just over five years ago.

In March 2016, protestors marched across the bridge, blocked it at one point, broke down the fence barring access to the beach and occupied it.

Minnis was joined by then-Free National Movement candidates Renward Wells, Duane Sands, Halson Moultrie and a host of Democratic National Alliance (DNA) supporters, including then-DNA Leader Branville McCartney.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.

1 comments

Has anyone noticed the irony of “Access” Industries blocking access to the beach?

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