As expressions of concern about access to beaches in Discovery Bay, St Ann continue, a local citizens’ body has been told it must fight for the people’s rights to use the beaches. At the same time, the Discovery Bay Community Development Council (CDC) has also been told to use strategies successfully tried by other groups elsewhere to get beach access.
The battle for beach rights at Winnifred Beach in Portland was mentioned as a template for the Discovery Bay CDC. Specifically, it was also suggested that legal assistance should be sought by the group.
The matter of the beaches — access to and status of them — was a major issue at the CDC’s meeting on Wednesday, October 4, at the Discovery Bay Community Centre.
Chairman of the CDC, Lee Arboin pointed out to the group that legal help would cost money and that the fight at Winnifred Beach had gone on for years before citizens won the rights of re-established access to the beach.
PUERTO SECO
In the meeting, held with the participation of North Coast Times Television many area residents and representatives of nearby communities expressed a great deal of frustration over what is said to be threats of access to beaches in the Discovery Bay area.
There are four beaches in the area including Puerto Seco that is well known and that is expected to re-open shortly with access to the paying public. The meeting however expressed displeasure at not being able to get any official information about Puerto Seco.
There were concerns expressed about Peach Beach (or the Red Cross Beach) the Beach Club and Fisherman’s Beach. There is a court matter about the ownership or operation of the Beach Club and the CDC said it had been trying to communicate with the Red Cross about the beach under its care but had not been able to get information.
A representative of the Fishermen’s Co-op said they had been told the beach had been handed over to the St Ann Municipal Council (SAMC) by the National Land Agency (NLA). Councillor for the area Carlton Ricketts said he was not aware that the handover had taken place though he was informed that this would be done. He was asked to get some specific information from the SAMC about a ruling by NEPA on walls erected in the area, among other issues.
Several persons at the meeting insisted that no attempt should be made to remove the fishermen or to lease the beach to any other group. It was stated that the beach had been under the control of fishermen for decades. One fisherman warned that he and his colleagues were waiting and would not be removed.
