A protest to protect beach access is scheduled for today, Nov. 4, at Jolly Harbour South Beach, with residents being urged to gather at Sandra’s Beach Bar at 3:30 p.m.
The demonstration comes amid concerns about changes to public access and parking associated with development in the area. Businessman and environmental activist Eli Fuller is calling on residents to attend, saying the issue affects recreation, livelihoods and the opportunities available to future generations.
In an extended video appeal, Fuller alleged that parking provided under Jolly Harbour’s original development plan had been absorbed into the Nikki Beach development and that a previously wider beach access route had been reduced to a narrow walkway.
“When access is taken away, economic potential is taken away, recreational activities taken away, quality of life overall taken away,” he said.
Fuller urged parents to bring their children, arguing that decisions being made about the country’s coastline would affect their ability to enjoy beaches and benefit from natural resources in the years ahead.
He said the protest was about more than reaching the sand. Access to the coastline, he argued, supports local businesses, community activities and potential livelihoods that may become increasingly important.
Fuller alleged that a former parking area was now being used for a Nikki Beach sales office and was becoming part of the resort development. He questioned how development could expand while parking was being removed.
“How can you triple the amount of people living in this area and remove the parking?” he asked.
He also claimed that a previously wider access route had been reduced to a walkway approximately 2½ feet wide. Fuller criticised suggestions that residents should instead travel outside Jolly Harbour and use access through Jolly Beach.
He argued that people living within Jolly Harbour should be able to reach South Beach without having to leave the community and find parking elsewhere.
Fuller questioned whether adequate public consultation had taken place, directing criticism at the Development Control Authority over what he described as the absence of stakeholder meetings and town hall discussions about the changes.
He described South Beach as a valuable public space capable of accommodating volleyball, beach cricket, sailing events, concerts and tourism activities.
Fuller attributed the beach’s width to requirements imposed by former Prime Minister V.C. Bird during Jolly Harbour’s original development. According to his account, Bird supported investment while insisting that development be set back from the shoreline to preserve space for public use.
He argued that the protections established at that time should be maintained as ownership and development plans changed.
Fuller also raised concerns about the effect on beach vendors. He alleged that Sandra’s Beach Bar was having difficulty moving supplies to its premises because access had been fenced, while other vendors had been relocated from Jolly Harbour to Ffryes Beach.
His broader message centred on the economic value of protecting Antigua and Barbuda’s natural resources.
Fuller warned against assuming that government employment or hotel jobs would always be available to future generations. He said beaches, reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves could support opportunities that people today might not yet recognise.
He compared that possibility with the rise of coastal tourism, arguing that earlier generations could not have anticipated the wealth that the country’s beaches would eventually generate.
Sustainable development, he said, should allow communities to earn a living from natural resources while preserving them.
“If you destroy the resources, then you eat today and starve tomorrow,” Fuller said.
He urged parents to use the gathering to teach children about the coastline and the importance of standing up for public access.
“Bring your children to the beach,” he said, encouraging families to look at the nearby islands, shoreline and hills and consider how those resources might support future livelihoods.
Fuller also raised separate concerns about dredging and reclamation near Barnacle Point, alleging that dredged material was being deposited on seagrass beds within a marine protected area.
He criticised what he viewed as a contradiction between appeals for international assistance to address climate change and development decisions affecting coastal ecosystems at home. Those environmental and legal claims were not independently verified for this report.
Fuller argued that poorer households would face the greatest consequences from environmental damage and the loss of access to natural resources.
He called on Prime Minister Gaston Browne and those involved in the Jolly Harbour development to address the access and parking concerns, suggesting that developers could purchase a beachfront lot to provide parking.
“You can afford to give us back our access,” he said.
Fuller urged residents to turn their concerns into action by attending the protest and encouraging others to participate. Participants are encouraged to wear white, although this is optional.
The supplied material did not include responses from the government, the Development Control Authority or the developers to Fuller’s allegations.
Source: Antigua News Room Protest set for today over beach access at Jolly Harbour in Antigua and Barbuda.