West Bayers fight for beach
(CNS):A community group in the district of West Bay is determined to fight to retain public access to local beaches, in particular Seven Mile Beach. The Concerned Citizens Group said it would pull up the barriers erected at access points along the West Bay Road if the Dart Group, which has recently acquired the land, does not remove them in the next few days. At a public meeting, where almost one hundred attendees pledged their support to do whatever was necessary to protect the beach access, it was clear that the people were also opposing plans by the developer to move the West Bay Road to facilitate a new beach resort. The residents appeared united in their opposition to the road re-direction, as it was seen as the last straw when it came to public use of the beach.
Plans by the Dart Group to move the West Bay Road and block off one of the last remaining access points to Seven Mile Beach were vehemently opposed, as the people suspected it would lead to access being permanently denied in the area.
The decision by Dart recently to erect posts and for other beach front property owners to string chains over access points has caused considerable concern in the community. Ken Hydes, who attended the meeting on behalf of Dart, said the posts were to stop people mining the beach (stealing sand) and not there to prevent people from going onto the beach.
With Easter only a week away, the firm sent out a press statement on Thursday afternoon ahead of the meeting encouraging people to continue the holiday tradition of camping on the beach. Dart said that all of its beach properties were available for everyone’s enjoyment, and campers were welcome
Hydes said campers could park along the edge of West Bay Road but parking on the sand tracks was not permitted. “We recently had to erect a number of posts to restrict vehicular accessto the beach due to issues surrounding the stealing of sand,” Hydes had said in the release. “The purpose of the posts is purely to restrict vehicular access and not to prevent residents and visitors from enjoying the beach.”
However, the erection of the barriers has been seen by local residents as not only as spelling the death knoll for public access to the world famous beach but also as symbolic of the continued loss of heritage to over-development.
As the people at the meeting pledged to make a stand against the barriers, there was a resounding call to action to stand against more development. Mistrust of developers was raised as the people pointed out that commitments and promises made by them had been broken.
The recent acquisition by Dart of a further large tract of land in the Seven Mile Beach area was also of concern as the developer was regarded as enormously powerful. “It’s not healthy for one billionaire to come and own all of the land,” one resident said.
Captain Bryan Ebanks, who is spearheading the Save Cayman campaign, pointed out that the proposals to move the road were not for the benefit of the local people but to improve the value of his land,and yet the crown was offering him public property as compensation for him building the new highway.
“So what are we going to do to stop this road?” he asked the attendees, as he pointed out it would be the end of beach access in the area. “If the road goes through, how do you think you are going to get to the beach? We need to execute a plan to stop the road and say no.”
Expressing their growing frustrations, the residents pointed out that their voices have not be heard and their wishes not respected, and as a result, they said, it was clear that they had to take action and the first step would be to demonstrate at the site to get their message across. They pledged to stand up for their beach access rights, which, it was pointed out, were protected by law.
Category: Local News
Who is buying Cayman?
***Schools management contract goes to DART subsidiary
***Dart Group buys five Big Daddy’s
***Dart Realty buys Courtyard Marriott
***Miller pushes Fair Trade Commission
***”The North Side MLA said he was particularly concerned about individuals with “deep pockets” who could simply outlast the local competition, driving it out of business. Mr. Miller made no secret at last week’s meeting that he considered the Dart corporation one of those entities.
“I have been very concerned for a long time about our government’s continued relationship with the Dart Group,” he told the West Bay audience. “These people have the money and the economic means to do whatever they want to do.””
***********Read more about who is buying your country
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/worldandus/archives/2005/04/kenneth_dart_ar_1.php
http://billclintondailydiary.blogspot.com/2005/02/kenneth-dart-citizenship-and-tax.html
http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1995/b343279.arc.htm
http://caps.fool.com/blogs/who-is-kenneth-b-dart-and-why/388891
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dart_Container
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture_fund
I notice North Siders are not saying much (if anything) about Dart blocking off the area beyond Kaibo???
Imagine the Governments of Cayman allowed Rich Developers to “dredge” up this land….and now those rich developers have sold this land to even richer developers.
The Cayman governments with no Environmental Laws and no effective National Plan has, and continues to, dance to any tune any rich developers play….meanwhile the Cayman people benifit at always decreasing levels….and are impacted with ever increasing costs to live in ones own Country/island/home!
And now even the beach for play and relaxation is being taken away.
The Governments need to make sensible laws to enhance Social Harmony (including for the middle class and poor) and the Police need to properly do their jobs!
Including patrolling and ensuring the beaches are properly cleaned up after camping activities.
Enforce the $500 littering fines man!
ummmm i think the blockades are gone
For now.
It was obvious that they would be removed for Easter.
Curious to see if they go back up after the campers are gone.
As they saym, Watch This Space…
The point is, this government is so devoid of ideas that any developer who comes along with ANY idea is welcomed. There is no plan in place forthe proper and sustainable development of the island. And by sustainable I mean long-term benefits for the population. This has left the door wide open for anyone with cash to invest. Mr. Bush may see this as a good thing because he can’t come up with any ideas himself. But it is what it is…. speculation. That road has been traveled by many other countries to their ultimate dissatisfaction. Speculators, developers, investors whatever you want to call them expect one thing………..a return. But when you dance to their tune (because of a lack of ideas or a sound policy yourself) you will find the next requirement are "concessions". In order for the project to "move forward". Or more often to make it "viable". Then you’re on a slippery slope, because you have already publicly supported the project. And blathered on about it. Maybe they’ve even flown you somewhere or offered you a cut rate condo. Eventually you own nothing but a bag full of concessions which are overdue. This is how astute business people deal with bumpkins.
So very well said! I agree completely!
This is so well said that adding anything will only confuse what was said. One quick question; How many people were elected to assist the Governor to run this little country? UDP one has one person to run the entire country?!! Maybe Mark Scottland can give some ideas as he is much smarter that his 14 colleagues!!!!!
Those barriers are to keep people from driving all over the beach. What is the big deal about that? If you hate Dart, fine, but what has that go to do with running over the vegetation on the beach? Is there some kind of natural Caymanian right to make the public beach nasty?
14:56 you do not know what you are talking about. Besides that, people do not drive all over the beach.
Pay attention, get the FULL story, or sit down and shut up.
Thanks
***** Whatever is man-made should be privately owned and bought and sold, but a natural resource untouched like the beach, the sea, is God-made and belongs to all equally! There should be no law allowing an elite figure to block access to a natural resource! *****
Chalk one up to the good guys! These rich, powerful people with the help of a local sell out think they can come here & do as they want! Chalk one up to the good guys, thank you!
If only our laws were amended to coincide with your philosophy on private/public property, I think we would have a better and more secure Cayman Islands. But it looks like this government along with wealthy developers are running things for their own interest. The Governor is silent and approves of it. And it appears all the udp members falsely believe in blessing the rich with no protectionist laws so they may bless everybody else – butwe all know that we are a small island with limited wealth – the rich usually look out for themselves and bless their own kind.
Mr. Roffey with respect to the portion of the by-pass that Mr. Dart built, would you be granted permission to develop property without providing legal carriageways? Mr. Dart develops with style and we thank him. He abides by the laws because if he needs a law changed to carry out his plans he gets it. He is no fool but neither are some of us, and you cannot blame him for working his power. What is so wrong with the overpasses at Hyatt and Ritz. Why can’t he build a third one of these?
Why does he have to be given crown property if he for relocating a roadway. If a roadway exists and one moves it, isn’t that a fair exchange?
The problem here is that the public is the last to know and is not given the opportunity to offer input at the appropriate time. That is why we end up with meetings such as the one that took place this week. WE DETEST DICTATORSHIP
I fully agree. Dart is a responsible builder and does quality projects. It is the Government that is the problem. Just because someone can build a quality resort on that section of beach does not mean that they should or that the people want it. It is governments job to make sure that the peoples will is done.
This is where our leadership is failing us. They are working for the developers not for the people. The blame falls on Mac not Dart.
The problem in
Cayman is that you have two groups always fighting for leadership. One Group has a more modern and forward looking approach and the other wants nothing better than to go back to the days when pirate might ruled the island and anyone could have what ever they could steal from someone else. Guess which one is in power now and which group still wants access to the beach so they can steal sand and leave their garbage. These people are pissed because they now have to WALK and carry their stuff like the rest of the people who use the beach. Its a crying shame everyone has to listen to them cry about the "way" it used to be for them when there was no "laws"
It is stupid and wrong for one man/entity to own so much of this country and it’s enterprise. The laws which other places have to stop this from happening are much needed. The imbalance of power which a monopoly brings is not a healthy thing no matter how you slice it. The consequences of this are yet to be fully realized. Those who have sold out so much of the Cayman Islands to one entity have done no one except their own bank account any favours. True Caymanian ownership of the tourism industry here has been eroded continually and consistantly for a long time and the consequences which follow such a foolhardy thing are not good no matter how impressive the landscaping. I fully realize that many people support Mr. Dart and what he has done in Cayman over the years and that he has gained much favour among folks for making parks and the like but it is unhealthy to allow anyone such a large piece of the pie for a country which does not have a very large pie dish in the first place and there is no escaping that. At the end of the day this is simply going to increase the polarization of the economic situation in Cayman and all that which follows. The cozy relationship which Mr. Dart has with Mr. Bush is not some altruistic one and that is what the rundown boils down to.
Greed, Greed and more greed, don’t worry you can do as much as you want but never for as long as you want, let this be a warning to all those people who are consumed by greed and development. Take a look around the world and see what is happening and don’t believe that it can’t or won’t happen here.
***** Our laws are screwed up! We need lawmakers who will make the beaches, lands that the owners have no intention of developing or cultivation, lands adjacent to natural sanctuaries and iron shores, common property! As a Capitalist, this is one of the downsides of Capitalism: How far will you take “private property”? I understand private property to mean any natural resource or means of production that you transform or change through “work or creativity” for the benefit of yourself and/or others. A natural resource like the sea, the sun, lakes, and beaches should not be privately owned, and no undevelop land should be owned unless there is proof that interested party intends to cultivate, build a house on to reside in, or use the land for business or productive use. We need laws like these on the books. I am not a Socialist, any thing that is of natural resources should not be bought or sold; or, blocked by anyone by erecting a fence or barrier! Whatever is man-made can be private owned and bought and sold, but a natural resource, untouched, is God-made and belongs to all! As a libertarian, as much as I defend Capitalism and people’s pursuit of achieving their full potential in life, and owning what they worked hard for, everything in nature, is God-made and belongs equally to all mankind! On this note, I strongly agree with the democratic socialists and georgists groups. No one should block access to our beaches or natural reserves,which can be used for therapeutic purposes and recreation. So again, urge all to stand up and speak to your lawmakers to work something out. I am sure there can be a win-win situation between Dart and the government. ***** Libertarian
Development will come, look at the world around you (beyond Cayman’s borders), it is the one aspect of history that is non-changing.
As I understand it, Mr. Dart is following an old proposed road system submitted by Linford Pierson, so that was already in the works.
Mr. Dart has already produced an example of a prime development, has implemented native plants and is indeed landscaped oriented. We should be happy to offer him support in positively creating attractive developments and financial injection.
Change is going to happen, whether we like it or not, this change is a positive one.
I couldn’t resist.
"Dart don’t want me to sit on my beach. Dart tell them to keep me out of reach."
We were a peaceful island welcoming people to our shores as tourists and residents.
It pains to see what is happening with a noisy group trying to cause our islands to fall apart.
The deadly snake is quiet and the poor locals are going down!
Now that I’ve had a chance to think long and hard about this, I’d much prefer they left the dilapidated beach bar alone. It must be pleasure for our visitors to walk by there and see what Cayman once was. Once we let the hotel deteriorate sufficiently, we can do do tours. The guide can go on and on about the way things once were and the glory years, etc, etc, etc.
A little trolley that doesn’t have reverse can bus them down to the Hyatt, where they can see where the rich and famous used to stay, once upon a time. This is going to to be awesome.
Forget moving the road and redeveloping the site, this is the new way forward!
We should view Dart’s intentions through the lens of his track record in Cayman, which is inspiring in my personal opinion. Here is a man we have no reason to distrust. The investments he makes here are virtually irrelevant to the fate of his financial empire. I truly believe he does things in the best interests of Cayman first, and then himself.
Now, a sober look at things through the lens of McKeeva Bush’s track record, reveals a diametrically opposite view. And who of us can claim that Cayman would have been better off without Mr Dart’s vision, particularly during this destructive recession, where he has lent us a degree of financial stability? Save your criticisms for the right target.
For example, is it even conceivable that Mr Dart would contemplate attempting to sneak in a 450 acre quarry on scenic coastline in the guise of a port, and then try to justify the whole self-serving nonsense by claiming it would create jobs for Caymanians. I think not.There are good people and there are vultures. We should learn to discriminate them.
Very sad to say, but true.
So didn’t Dart have anything to with the destruction of the mangroves?
Are you living in the soon to be drowned Snug Harbour?
It was nice to read the person’s comments asking people to pick up their trash while camping at Easter. Until Mr Dart bought the point at the end off Water Cay it was disgusting there. People would leave their trash with no regard for others or the environment. There are now gates blocking cars from entering and the property is pristine. It does frightens me however that one person has amassed as many businesses and so much land in Cayman.
what a bunch of small minded, small town losers….their arguments are laughable….
dart has done nothing against the law and is 100% right
You’re right. They really should be taking aim at the one who continues to deprive us all of our rights in this country, thanks to them.
Blah Blah Blah. They say that the posts are to protect people from stealing the sand. Who is he to tell anyone that they cannot get sand? The sand police?? If anybody wanted sand they could go to any other beach spot and get it, so please stop. We all know that is not the reason. Remember after Ivan, how all that sand was piled up down by the public beach? Don’t worry, if sand is what they want, sand is what they shall get!
Spoken like a true Caymanian. What laws? I don’t need to follow any laws! My island. Bla Bla Bla.
No wonder these islands cannot resolve anything! As I read the comments on this and other articles on CNS all I see is “bayas this, brackas that, bodden townas dat, george townas this” I mean seriously we are but a dot on an orbiting satellite and yet are more prejudice against eachother as egyptians were to their slaves!!! Grow up people, there is a huge battle to fight and it can’t be fought alone, but we are dividing ourselves with this nonesense.
I thought the beach is still public up to the high water mark? What happened to that law? Has that been striked off the registry? We the public still need beach access, anyway you take it.The question will be, where do we park to get to these access? Do we have to park on the North East side of St. Matthews Dorms? That would be a very longs ways to walk to get to the beach. Enlighten me please McKeeva.
The only way to stop an animal is to cut off it’s head. The only way that these proposed destructive projects, especially the closing of the present WB road, the NS dredging, the EE port development, the oil refinery, the two islands in the NS, can be stopped is to put a stop to the person who has been allowing it all to happen. The developers of these projects could not do it if they did not have the support & ENCOURAGEMENT of someone very powerful, & we all know who that is. We have to start at the top! Talking has failed, it is time to march! Protest! SAVE CAYMAN!
You are so right. Maybe this is God’s way of trying to shake those West Bayers out of their slumber. One man is being allowed to sell us, our land, our souls, our beaches, our north sound, our country…I seriously wonder how long it will be before we are herded like cattle and shipped to someplace where we will be permanently out of the way, all because somebody bought somebody a fridge?
Yes the beach is still public up to the high water mark,not too log ago it was up to the vegetations…meanning the The law is still there, like every other law.
We as a people have to enforce them.
Let’s do more walk the walk and stop the talk, like a sick man’s backside. As far as i know every 200 feet along the seven mile beach sits an access, it belongs to the public, go in there and demarcate them so everone can identify them, do somthing for your country…no one is stopping you all from doing this.
In observing the high level of obesity within, that walk would be benificial to many.
People with heavy pockets can’t walk either so what will you do? Thought so – just look out your window and admire the beach, then roll out the door into the sea. Beneficiary!
Build a KFC and they will come.
Is anyone prevented from walking along the beach in front of the Ritz Carlton where the land to the west of West Bay Rd. is deeper?
I don’t think so.
Have we also forgotten that Mr. Dart built that part of the by-pass that passes through Camana Bay, greatly improving traffic flow at that time (it could do with being widened now Mr. Dart, pretty please).
If the Bypass is now extended or improved at its northern end then that should benefit everyone from West Bay that has to travel towards George Town to work, and it will be even better going home.
Should that improvement also reap benefits for Mr. Dart in the value of his land, then its a win-win for everyone.
Mr. Roffey cannot appreciate the erosion of our culture and heritage as he only came here in the 80’s and made his name here like many others.
Only those of us who are old enough who used to stop and pick the cocoplums on our way from GeorgeTown in the area know what this means to born Caymanians. We have to stop this runaway madness and if necessary demonstrate and show the proponents of this ‘development’ for obvious developments sake that we mean business.
When are the rights of Caymanians going to be protected? Are we going to be like the people of the Chagos Islands?
A law needs to also be implemented to limit the amount of property any one person can hold and quickly. Free market for who?
From what I have seen of Caymana Bay, I sincerely believe that Mr. Dart, unlike most of the ‘investors’ that come to this country, does have the country and it’s people, and not just himself at heart. I do however share your concern that selling (or giving away, since land, and particularly beach land in Cayman has reached the point of being priceless) all ofour most precious asset to one or a small group of individuals must be controlled. With every good or supposed good intention Mr. Dart may have, buying and buying and buying in this country by one individual can and will lead to one end, ultimate control of the country and it’s people.
“Runaway madnesss”, “rights of caymanians”…don’t forget it was Caymanians who sold the land to Dart (and the other furriners) in the first place and made a nice little profit out of doing so too. Cayman should be thankful that someone like Dart is prepared to invest so much in this little “two by four” island. There are plenty more islands in the Caribbean who would give their right arms for such investment.
So why doesn’t he go there? Obviously he has something to gain from being here.
Agreed – can you imagine the uproar when, having listened to all of this, Government decidesto make it illegal for beach front property to be privately owned unless the beach (Not just to the high water mark as, forgive me if I am wrong, but most campers have to put their tents a little higher up the beach … along with their port-a-potties, generators, AC units etc.!) is open to all. Watch the value of that land plummet and then hear the objections!!
Shame on Mr Roffey for “coming here in the 80s and making a name here like many others”. How dare he work so bloody hard and succeed and raise a Caymanian family? Imagine!
You silly silly poster, why didn’t the generational/born Caymanians/sons of the soil/ true borns blah blah that we keep hearing about make a similar name for themselves LONG. LONG before Roffey and others got here in the 80s? Could never be they lacked the brainpower and entrepeneurial skills and (especially) the hard work. No sirree.
Enjoy your cocoplums and reflect on the fact that it was -gasp – Caymanians who sold all these nasty furriners their land and were delighted to do so. Stop comparing yourselves to the Chagos islanders; that’s an obscene travesty.They were genuinely mistreated by the UK and had no choice in losing their land. You Caymanians sold it willingly and are STILL doing so.
Have any of the objectors seen the plans for the ‘new road’ or for the ‘new hotel’? I have heard a great deal of talk and speculation about what will be, but have yet to see confirmed plans. I think it is wise to be sure we know exactly what we are objecting to before we object – did anyone in this grouptry to call, talk to or discuss their concerns with anyone at Dart before taking it to a public meeting? Seems to me that informed and concerned people who are riling up the country would want to know they had good information … or is this just a reason to rile up the peeps? I am pro-Sustainable Development, pro-Economic Development. I have absolutely seen Cayman grow up around and yes, it is a different Cayman today than it was 40 years ago. But guess what, if it wasn’t we woud have a whole different set of issues: a much worse standard of living, certainly none of those flash cars we all love to drive, far fewer big homes to live in and might still be driving to Comart, Kirk Plaza and By-Rite to get all the groceries needed while trying to convince our children powdered milk tastes good.
I am just saying that we need to talk more an we need to recognise that Sustainable Development = Economic Opportunity for Caymanians. And yes, I am sure I will still go to the beach AFTER the road is moved and a hotel redeveloped.
well said….unlike the west bayers, you actually think before you speak..
A very sensible suggestion.
It is suprising that respected elders like Capt Bryan etc have not taken this approach.
It would be good if all of us work with the Dart group to make it a better place.
We are going to continue to progress in a sustainable fashion, I am all for it.
Solutions are not found with in the present approach being taken by the objectors.
Is it not interesting– when it relates to our personal property development, we get anoyed with any objections . So let us be fair for development.
Dear Seven Mile Beach fan. You have written a lot of truth, yet what I remember from 40 years ago was the PLEASURE of going to Comart and Kirk Plaza and By Rite, and of not being kicked off Seven mile beach because I was born here, and of being able to go on the iron-shore to catch enough fresh fish for my family’s supper, and of not having to worry about being mowed down on the streets by those flashy cars being driven by folks with absolutely nothing but the next dollar on their minds, and of not having to watch my fellow Caymanians become increasingly sold out and enslaved by ‘investors’ in the name of profits for themselves, and of not having mother and father both working at least one job each to simply survive, and when aloe and fever grass tea could cure every illness known to man. Yes we have more, we sold and continue to sell our souls for it so we deserve it, along with the stress and enslavement that comes with it. More material possessions do not necessarily mean a better quality of life. I believe Caymanians are living proof of that.
What I remember from my first trip 40 years ago was that the Saturday we arrived the one and only grocery downtown was completely empty of everything but big roots and tins of smoked oysters. We were told to come back Monday or Tuesday ( I forget which) after the boat came in. Sure enough three days later we were finally able to buy food. The beach was unspoiled, however.
Yes, the beach was unspoiled, and the big roots were unspoiled, and healthier than most of what can be found in our fancy supermarkets today. And you did eventually get ‘real’ food. Isn’t (wasn’t) that sublime? We’re happy that you continue to enjoy Cayman since your first adventure 40 years ago.
….and you didn’t starve to death nor did I and I enjoyed my life without worrying about getting mugged
Maybe you have a point by asking to see a plan. However we did have a “sustainable development plan” as far back as 1975, and if that was not thrown out by the 1976-1984 government and not reimplemented by those following we would not be having this discussion.
As far as your sustainable=economic development argument is concerned, one does not equate to the other. Ask any Caymanian who has been around if they are better or worse off than they were 30 years ago and they will say worse.
This is because we have not benefitted as a people in general from this development you argue for. Development for who?
Surely not the majority of Caymanians.
I think Dart has shown a great deal of commitment to these islands. His developments are beautiful and high quality. I do not however understand why the same proposal was rejected when Thomas requested it. Having said that as long as the deals are transparent, NRA gets market value plus premium for the land and public access with free parking facilities are part of the plan I support this development.
The beach is public everywhere up to highwater mark. If you want all the undeveloped land to be crown land, you better bring your checkbook because its all owned by someone and many of them are Caymanian.
My god what’s the problem again?? beach access? Did people forget that there are beaches thats public in west bay in fact 3 of them! cemetery beach which will never be developed, the one just before NW point road turn that says public beach. The largest one on the island by villas papagallo " barkers beach". Dear God please help my people they are going mad.
Please leave Mr. Dart alone he’s the only rich man that has done more for Cayman then the rest.
I think you missed the point here. People are really upset about the “access” to the beach – Will dart make it easily accessible. All of those beaches you mentioned are not easily accessible or are too close to the main road
Hi Chad, Dart or any other property owners on the seven mile beach, don’t have to make it accessible, it already is.
I venture to state further , we Caymanians need to be more educated, of our laws of the land…what you say about this, all you comentators? you going to ask Mr. Rolston to enduce this type of information within the school’s curriculm, or you would rather keep your people dumb to the facts. Let’s be positive, and stop bashing these developers, they are our breadline.
Hill
To Chad,
As stated before, the accesses are all there. but you cannot access your vehicles, the accesses are not that wide. It was never meant for vehicles, it is just a path to get to the beaches.
Being that we already have parking for our public beaches.
Maybe you are refering to the narrow strips of property to the North of Tikki Beach that Mr. Dart owns, then maybe the best thing to do is to ask him to give us a little piece of his property, so we can park our vehicles, while accessing our 4 feet wide path to the beaches.
From what i observed at Mr. Dart’s strips of beach property, people are mining sand from his property, and to avoid that he has planted objects in the path to hender further mining of his property, I see nothing wrong with him doing that. We as Caymanians are the worst whenever it comes to not even wanting our neighbours to walk on our land….lets be fair.
Hill
I totally agree with 11:55
Mr. Dart is using his money to develop the Island, while our Caymanians with enough money could be doing the same, but rather sit on their money.
I hope some of these comments are not from the same money people, and for those of you that don’t have it, should think before you open your mouth.
Most of you are making a living off the same people like Mr. Dart , but dont realise it.
Stop the foolishness.
Hill
To my understanding, dart is ONLY locking off access to cross directly infront of the old marriott building, please correct me if im wrong…also as i do believe it is unethical to sell all the land to one person, we all have to understand that development is key in moving forward. Our MAIN industry is tourism and this is something done to promote that, for years we have been fighting dart, we bashed him for wanting to do a park and to this day that is the nicest park ever built in Cayman, oh sure we have parks that the government built for us but come on now do u really think that the Airport park for example is any where as nice in comparison ?
Cayman Bay for another example people we protesting left right and center OUTRAGED that we sold so much land to one individual, now the first thing we do when some one who is fresh to the island we always take it upon our self to promote how NICE cayman bay is, that project alone in the progress its made so far has already pushed Cayman’s standards over and beyond what some other caribbean islands have to offer!
Now im almost as positive that if dart wants to do something, its gonna come out well, we caymanians cry about losing our public beach but to be honest 10% of us actually use it!! so ask you self, when was the last time you ever been there for swim and be honest, dart is doing something for the better…why cant YOU see that
DART is a sizeable family organization of many companies employing dozens of people for decades. It is true that they execute their plans well, but it is not just one individual operating in a vacuum pulling all the levers; though many seem to hold that belief.
What? I swim there all the time and certainly don’t want Dart’s Security telling me where I must swim and where I can’t. That is what eventually happens when you give one man the privelege of buying whatever he wants
The beach to high water is sold…somewhere in the past a Caymanian got money for it…sorry it wasn’t you but tough luck…maybe it was way back when the land was considered useless for farming but only good for burial. You can swim wherever you want, beach access is made available in certain areas but you are limited to high water for beach usage on private land. Nuff said!
No, it wasn’t that far back, to my knowledge, the high water mark or the vegetation mark were sold in the late 70s when the Condo boom started.The boundry marks stopped at the edges of the cocoplum trees, the seagrape trees
This were the most stupid thing our so called fore fathers could ever do to us.
As it is now, some beaches do not have any useable area for public use. the high tides only rises 3 to 4 feet up the sand banks.
Before the law were changed, we had own up to the vegetations. this gave us a large beach area to frollic on.
Hill
We can’t see, cause we blinded with hate and jelously.
You ever hear of the old saying…”give me the milk , but keep the cow”
What we should be doing, is to meet with Mr. Dart and bargain with him to extend our Public beach area to the East, which would accomodate more parking and cabanas.
If he is going to continue the roadway behind his hotel which would also be a plus, we would still have our two thoroughfare going into West Bay.
What really appalls me, is after 40 plus years of developing this Island, especially the West bay peninsula, which looks like a bee hive with canals, and now we are objecting to one developer.
These bee hives of canals have created millions of dollars into the pockets of Caymanians.
How do we help you to understand this and what it means to this island and ALL people who live and work here? Not just West Bay
Let me spell it out in more detail.
This has been kept SO quiet for a reason.
What you folks do not realize, but this we know for sure is;
Dart owns that portion of land where he has placed the ‘vehicle’ barriers, from Tiki Beach to the first and only house towards West Bay. (almost to the Yacht Club)
He owns the land across the street from these barriers as well. Once the road is blocked and moved, the next step will eventually be to remove the road/asphalt itself, while you’re not looking. (kind of like mangroves being removed when you weren’t looking)
I mean, why would you want a road to stop the beach from connecting it to the rest of your property?
And NOW you have the most valuable multi-million dollar stretch of pristine SMB property with no 10 story buildings blocking your view.
Now, how much "ACCESS" do you think you’re going to get to that stretch of beach with the teeny tiny vehicle barriers?? Far fetched? Eh? I think not.
Give ’em an inch and they will eventually, sneakily, take 7 miles.
Thumbs down to those of you who do not believe this.
CU Bodden – Not from West Bay
Have you been watching Conspiracy theory again?
ICUP Ebanks – From Richta So
We can only hope it is a ‘conspiracy theory’, because once it’s done, it’s DONE.
No do-overs
You can still park on the WB Road and walk down to the beach. I work on SMB and I for one like the posts that have been put up to keep CARS from driving down those paths. There is never any garbage pilling up on the beach in that area anymore, there is also never anymore people parking their cars down there and smoking ganja or throwing dirty condoms out the car window. The shoulder of that part of the road is plenty wide to park on and there is always room to park – even on a busy sunday.
Dart isn’t the problem here either people – the man you elected to premier is the problem.
Nice try but the real WEST BAYER speaks real WEST BAYISH!!!! Try be a little more original nuh?
THIS is your comment? Good job at keeping up stereotypes – oops that’s too big a word for a fake west bayer
Ah, the narcissism of minor differences . . . .
Well spoken “West Bayer” good to know we do have Caymanians that see things in a more positive light, but why is Mac the problem…. is he part of the Dart’s family?
I thought this whole scenario was about Mr. Dart and the people wanting more beach access.
Hill
When the West Bayers are prepared to protest the real problem I’ll happily join them.
In case they missed it the problem is McKeeva Bush. He made Dart a Caymanian and gave him free reign to do as he pleases in our/his country.
McKeeva offered to move the road for Dart and also give him some Government property free too.
McKEEVA is the problem Bayas……..when you’re ready to protest him let us know……..the rest of the districts will show up….I assure you !!! And if you all don’t wake up soon we will do it with or without our Baya friends.
The premier and his decision affect the entire island.
Why are you putting the entire responsibility of a protest on West Bay???
Me thinks you, my friend, are just another part of the problem.
The onus falls on those of West Bay because those of us who live in other districts have no power to vote him out as we are only able to cast votes within the district in which we live which is ridiculous on an island this small.
That will change, West Bay will have a better choce of Repreventation. It’s time to give new blood a choice/
Well, it wouldn’t, make any sense for us to protest if they keep voting him back in!
Yes, McKeeva is the problem Bayas………I, too, will happily support you when you decide to address the real problem.
Dem Baya’s fights breeze.
Here we go, bashing our brothers and sisters, we can’t even get along with our own, then how do we expect to get along with our visitors, and our new residence, and guest.
Hill
The Government of the Cayman Islands made the decision a long time ago to divide the land of the Cayman Islands into parcels.
These parcels are designated for particular uses and types of ownership.
The sale of Seven Mile Beach land parcels has benefited the C.I. Government greatly in stamp duty payments, not only on the sale of this extremely expensive land, but also on the developed entities sold thereafter.
As a private land owner , be it Dart, Mrs Ebanks or XYZ Ltd, the fact remains that the land is privately held.
Perhaps the question to ask is if a bunch of people camped out in your back garden, stole sand or used your property for late night reunions – would you be happy with that? Would that be acceptable to you?
I think not.
Be considerate of people’s property – be considerate of the investment they have made in it and most importantly understand the law pertaining to land ownership, access and rights.
You forgot to mention, the revenue derived from the sales of those property has helped build our infastructures, gave our children free education, and i could go on and on.
Ha, speaking about trespassing, you try going on any of their property just to cross over, and see what happens.
Hill
It might be interesting to find out who the beaches actually belong to before you start selling them off.
In Jersey the beaches are all Crown land and are only leased to the island.
Does anyone know if the same applies to Cayman?
I believe it is all Crown land. The government has the right to take any land that they want to and they don’t have to pay you for it. I imagine there must be some sort of balance of powers and rule of law regarding the way in which they seize the land, but I could be wrong.
No only are you wrong but you are being silly. The private beach ownership goes down to the HIGH WATER MARK. Beyond that it is agreed for full public access. There is discussion every four or so years about this. If we Caymanians sell property to others, collect the stamp duty and use the funds, we cannot then complain that we cannot use it.
“Crown Land” are those parcels of land above the high water mark that is owned by the crown ( holding for the people of Cayman). “Queens Bottom” is the term that refers to the land(sea bottom) that extends from the Low water line out to sea, and I would guess to about 12 miles– beyond that comes issues of separation of territorial waters between counties.
The Government DOES NOT “HAVE THE RIGHT” to take any land it wants. The Government has “THE POWER” to take ownership of property AND PAY MARKET VALUE for it. They can do this only for use on a national significant issue or public good. Not just because they like your land.
Land ownership in Cayman is private. The Government cannot just come along and take it from you.
But they can, apparently, sell it to whoever they like.
Remember the re-leasing scandal? Crown land on a 99-year lease was re-negotiated in a questionably legal, and very secret, deal long before original contract expired to protect (or boost?) property values.
I think this person is referring to the laws of "a land far far away" which is populated by pixies and fairies and elves.
The problem is that Caymanians demand to have a Free Market economy when it suits them while at the same time expect the government to enforce a Controlled Market Economy when it does not. I think this is what Mac was trying to explain in his speech. If you decide to sell your land for personal gain then don’t come crying for the government to stop people from developing the land.
You have a simplistic understanding of how free market economies work in the real world. There is no country in which there are no controls upon the free market. None. Everyone, well at least most people, recognise that there are certain aspects of a completely free market which are unacceptable and the operation of the free market is tempered accordingly. Simply because you own land does not mean that there should be no restrictions as to what you can do with that land or that you should be allowed to use it to the detriment of the public.
I suspect that you simply saw this as an opportunity to vent your frustration about Caymanians.
Would you also agree to totally defend the unacceptable operation of our free maket?
Take for instance our Construction Industry?” 760 licenses. ” Paraphrasing your statement”.
Simply because your are a Caymanian does not mean that there should be no restriction to owning a trade and Business license, to carry on a construction business. Do you know how many builders are out of work because of our free market? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Let him develop.
Hill
Well explained…thank you, but Mac gets the blame.you can’t have your cake and eat it too. we as Caymanians have to grow up fast to catch up with reality.
Hill
Libertarian: You cannot or should not own natural resources like the sea, the sun, the beaches, and undevelop lands – these things cannot / should not be privately owned. I agree with him 100% People we need to protest big names like Dart and defend our heritage!
I agree that you cannot and should not own the sea, the sun, and the beach. You can’t own land past a certain point of the high watermark. I can’t recall the exact point. However, you can’t say you can’t own un developed land. at some point in the past this whole island was undeveloped land.
We need to be careful with these developers, but it annoys me to the core, when this happens. Cayman has lost so much so quickly, all to the almighty dollar. But are any of these developments any different than any other? and are they being filled to capacity?
I hope that if Dart does develop this he remembers that Caymanians will need jobs and would love to have access to the beach.
I’m thinking about buying some land on the beach, just so I can see the sea…soon i won’t be able to unless i own beachfront.
What we meant by “undevelop lands” – any lands that the buyer or person who wants it, has the intention to buy more than a years time not develop on it or even a house on it. For instance, I know of properties on the island alongside the beach where german foreignors bought and to this day, they have done nothing to the land – but fenced it off and put no tresspassing signs! So I think there needs to be a law in place that will ensure that a person doesn’t buy land just to make it sit.
“However, the erection of the barriers has been seen by local residents as not only as spelling the death knoll for public access to the world famous beach but also as symbolic of the continued loss of heritage to over-development.”
Unfortunately it’s a bit late to complain about loss of heritage when local people have been selling out their land for development for years now…….nobody cared about the heritage when they were counting the dollars from the sales….
Why don’t you people protest BIG MAC!! He’s the one you should be pissed at, not Dart. MAC gave Dart free rein to do whatever he wants. So why not??? He’s a Caymanian thanks to the fool YOU fools voted in!!
Oh for crying out loud, stop this foolishness of bringing McKeeva and the political arm into everything. We consistently lose sight of our objective because of this same crap every time.
These folks specifically asked to leave the politics aside and those of you that like to spew out the hate and sarcasm still continue with your campaign.
If Jesus was to come back now, you would say it is too early and blame it on McKeeva.
Get some cajones and stop wasting time throwing blame around and work towards the goal of the group and that is to get these posts down and access to the beach again.
We all have to remember in the end that yes we can use the beach but the land itself belongs to Dart and just like any other land owner expat or Caymanian he has a right to it.
All that being said I think it would be more product to petition Dart to leave the beaches as they are without development and/or to develop them in the way he has done with the parks so that everyone can use them.
I noticed that he has done very little with the beach that is used for the Camana Bay residents so I am sure that he does like to see some things left in their pristine state.
Lastly, I will implore those that camp there over the Easter weekend to pick up their litter and leave the beaches nice and tidy. It is ridiculous to see how much trash is left behind after everyone is gone. That is not good for any of us or for our environment, not to mention left for the tourists to see as they walk our beaches.
I dont think it would befair to ask Mr. Dart to leave the beach as is ; garbage, used condoms, stealing the man sand.
Yes please show more love for each other, and stop blaming Mac for everthing, you all begaining to sound like the Repubs of U.S.A, ….”blame it on Obama” both of these leaders have taken on the leadership of their country, at a time when the world is going through a global recession. have some faith and give the man a break.
Hill
Are you as fool as your comments make you out to be?
Any foreigner can buy land in Cayman, Dart did not need status to buy land here. In fact he bought a hell of alot before he got status.
My fellow caymanians, you cannot expect to sell your land and then tell the person who bought it that they cant develop it.
A word to the wise – STOP SELLING YOUR LAND!
I’m going to go ahead and hazard a guess that this bunch of blowhards has yet to see the proposed plans and are getting their West Bay panties in a twist just for the sake of it.
Why wait for facts? That would not be ant fun!
Captain Bryan Ebanks view “that the proposals to move the road were not for the benefit of the local people but to improve the value of his land” is exactly that, simply one person’s point of view. Another view is that moving the road would be to everyone’s benefit. It makes the land more attractive to develop, more attractive to investors, those investors buy houses, they spend money, the local economy gets much needed liquidity, winner winner chicken dinner everyone is a winner, things aren’t so black and white and it doesn’t help anyone to pretend otherwise.
Well put. I think it is important to note too that, without any idea of what is being planned some very large assumptions are being made … and you know what they say assumptions make! Before we go to far down the road of how terrible it will be, lets see what the plans are. Who knows … maybe they will be as well done and great as Camana Bay, or any one of the District Parks! Imagine … it could all be better for us. Sacrifice a little – Gain a lot. You just never know.
So the issue is the local people want to be able to mine(steal) sand?
They don’t believe it when Dart says you can still walk to the beach?
They pledged to stand up against beach access but not their premier?
I’m starting to see why Cayman is so screwed up.
Ha ha. It’s not your beach. It’s McKeeva Bush’s beach and he can do with it whatever he wants.
Correction – it is now Dart’s beach and he can do what ever he want’s with it – just be lucky he is still letting you camp on it at Easter
Not below the beach ridge he can’t. The beach and the ocean there belong to all of us and we cannot be denied access.
Mac, or any other average Caymanian, didn’t have any beach land to sell to Dart – or any other large tracts of land, for that matter. Examine the Land Register records and see who sold Dart the land.
***** We must make undeveloped lands, beaches, lands adjacent to natural sanctuaries, the sea and iron shores, common property! As a Capitalist, this is one of the downsides of capitalism: How far will you take “private property”? I understand private property to mean any natural resource or means of production that you transform through “work or creativity” for the benefit of yourself and/or others. A natural resource like the sea, the sun, and undevelop lands, should not be privately owned unless there is proof of intended cultivation or productive use. Natural resources should not be bought or sold; or, blocked by anyone by erecting a fence or barrier. As a libertarian, as much as I defend Capitalism and people’s pursuit of achieving their full potential in life, everything in nature, is God-made and hence, belongs equally to all mankind. On this note, I strongly agree with the democratic communists and georgists. Our beaches should belong to everyone and access to our beaches or natural reserve should never be blocked. So not only West Bayers, but all Cayman should participate in this fight! ***** Libertarian
Understood, Lib… Most definitely, it is our laws that need to be change. The beaches for recreational use should belong to everyone, because they are a means by which people can vent-out their frustrations and stress. Crime will increase if people feel restricted – mark my words! You imprison people in their own country when you have laws that allow a wealthy person to buy out everything.
Let us NEVER forget that Mac gave Dart IRREVOCABLE status when he gave away our childrens birthright. Dart now has the rights of a Caymanian, the economic power and, seemingly, the influence over the current powers to be to do whatever he wants. We must all fight this in any way we can. When are we all going to sit on the beach????????????
It doesn’t look like the barriers are to stop access. It seems like they are there to stop cars. I don’t have a problem with that.