Prime Minister Dr. Hon Godwin Friday has responded to criticism of the Government’s decision to sell approximately 100 acres of land at Chatham Bay in Union Island.
In a release issued today, the Prime Minister explained that the land is being sold for conservation, and the Government can buy it back at the same price within two years.
The Prime Minister noted that Opposition Leader Dr. Hon Ralph Gonsalves had cited an alleged historical valuation of Chatham Bay.
However, he noted that by the Opposition Leader’s own account, that valuation was considered in circumstances where the land was under consideration for significant hotel and resort development.
The Prime Minister said the Opposition Leader is comparing two fundamentally different propositions, pointing out that a valuation cannot be taken based on the commercial potential of land available for resort development and simply apply it to land whose development potential is now being deliberately restricted for conservation.
The Prime Minister further noted that, under the current agreement, the Chatham Bay land is to be held for conservation, with binding covenants that protect the area’s natural environment and biodiversity.
Dr. Friday noted that the Opposition Leader had admitted that his administration had rejected an approach centred on preserving Chatham Bay because it preferred to secure resort development for the area.
He pointed out that, despite that policy preference, the major resort development for Chatham Bay did not materialise during the 24 years in office of the ULP administration.
The Prime Minister explained that the current transaction with AHRA LLC has secured nearly EC$53 million and placed conservation at the centre of the land’s future use. The agreement also provides an additional safeguard for the public interest by giving the Government a two-year option to repurchase the land at the same price at which it was sold.
The Prime Minister said, additionally, around the time the transaction was agreed, the Government decided to return to Union Island residents the lands in the southern area that the previous administration had acquired for foreign hotel development.
Dr. Friday said, proceeds from the transaction will support identified national priorities, including debt reduction, the Ministry of Fisheries, land and sea conservation and climate resilience, and initiatives to improve Government efficiency.
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