Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer
Mccaulay
WESTERN BUREAU:
Residents of both Coral Gardens and Ironshore are objecting to the construction of the 701-room hotel, Riu Montego Bay, while the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has tagged the resort's environment impact assessment presentation as a "mockery."
At a fiery meeting to present the proposal of the resort to the public on Friday evening at the SuperClubs Ironshore Golf Club in Montego Bay, the citizens accused the developers of taking prime beach land slated for their recreational purposes.
The resort is to be built in Mahoe Bay, St. James, neighbouring Sandals Royal Caribbean.
It is reported that there has been a long-standing dispute regarding the ownership of 11 lots and a piece of beach-front property that were supposed to be reserved as part of the sales agreement signed between the residents of Coral Gardens and the original developers. The residents say the documents for those lands have gone missing and the St. James Parish Council has no record in their files.
Undaunted by the accusations, the resort's attorney, Enid Chin, said that the title acquired is a registered one, which is the ultimate proof. "There was nowhere that we found that this land was slated for public use. It has always been private property," she said.
Riu purchased approximately 11 acres of land from Kingston businessman Winston Finzi, seven acres from Montego Bay developer Joe Whitter and the rest from Tropical Foundations Limited.
The other areas of the proposal which came under fire included the five-storey buildings, which is unusual for resorts with such proximity to the airport; the dredging that will be carried out; a proper sewage system; the building's impact on the water supply in the area; and, the effect that the development will have on the fishermen in the nearby Whitehouse community.
no permission by NEPA
Originally, the hotel had planned to build an eight-storey property but was not given permission by the National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) as a result of its proximity to the Sangster International Airport.
JET's Diana McCaulay thinks the hotel is a done deal and the public consultation is a mockery. "We are being informed of what they are going to do."
She said that during the judicial review action against NEPA and NRCA on the Bahía case, justice Bryan Sykes quoted the so-called 'Sedley definition' on consultation. This is what it said:
"It is common ground that, whether or not consultation of interested parties and the public is a legal requirement, if it is embarked upon it must be carried out properly. To be proper, consultation must be undertaken at a time when proposals are still at a formative stage; it must include sufficient reasons for particular proposals to allow those consulted to give intelligent consideration and an intelligent response; adequate time must be given for this purpose; and, the product of consultation must be conscientiously taken into account when the ultimate decisions are taken."
"How are our views on dredging to be conscientiously taken into account when permission has been given and perhaps work started before we have even been heard?' she asked. The resort has already been granted a beach license for capital dredging by NEPA.
"We are calling on the National Environment Protection Agency to revoke this beach licence and give the public adequate time to respond to what is being proposed for the area."
The proposed development represents the fourth such establishment in Jamaica. The other three properties are located in Negril and Ocho Rios. If approval is granted, Riu will provide employment to some 450 tourism workers directly, 1,200 indirectly and 600 trademen and labourers during construction. It is anticipated that construction will be completed in 18 months. The resort has the potential to generate approximately US$33,141,397 per year, based on the Jamaica Tourist Board's average length of stay.
