$600K vending contract signed for Long Bay Beach development
The government has taken another step toward enhancing the tourism product at Long Bay Beach, Beef Island, by signing a $600,000 contract with DE Property Development.
The contract is part of a broader initiative to revitalise and protect the popular tourist destination, focusing on balancing economic development and environmental preservation. The contract will fund the construction of a vending zone that includes six vending units.
Three units are designed for full-service restaurants and bars, alongside an outdoor eating area and an administrative office to support beach management. The vending zone is expected to improve the visitor experience while offering opportunities for local vendors to thrive.
This development continues efforts to implement the Long Bay Beach Management Plan, a pilot project to restore and maintain the beach’s ecosystem. The plan was initiated after Hurricane Irma caused significant damage to the area, leading to rapid environmental changes. According to officials, the vending zone will play a critical role in sustaining the tourism value of Long Bay while ensuring that commercial activity does not compromise the beach’s natural beauty.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley emphasised balancing economic development and environmental stewardship.
Balance
“As much as we are keen on putting our resources to use so that they can create jobs and opportunities for people, we must do this in a responsible and sustainable way,” he said during the signing ceremony.
In addition to the vending zone contract, a $133,000 grant agreement was signed with Unite BVI, a non-profit organisation, to support environmental restoration at Long Bay. The grant will fund activities such as planting 130 native trees and creating an outdoor classroom to educate the public about environmental conservation.
Unite BVI’s Foundation Manager, Kim Takeuchi, emphasised the importance of this collaborative effort, noting that the project represents a “harmonious approach to economic development and environmental conservation”. The restoration efforts are part of a long-term plan to protect the beach from erosion and future storm damage, ensuring its resilience in the face of climate change.
Officials expressed hope that the Long Bay Beach project serves as a model for sustainable development that could be replicated across other beaches in the territory.
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Where does this nynconp**p ‘s priority of projects comes from. The people are crying, shouting, tabling, blabbing their needs for productive developments in the Territory and he here just spending monies as he pleases. Whomever his advisor(s) are, they should be really ashamed of associating themselves with his decisions period.
wth wrong with this dude
on that long sandy beach on Beef Island. Maybe if all the beaches on the north side of Tortola are closed due to ground seas. This beach by the airport is the public beach for the east end residents of Tortola. Not really a beach for tourists.
@Tourists
Sadly, not a local beach anymore. We’ve sold our souls to the Cruise Ships. And if the gapping maw of the territory’s treasury can be fed by selling the rights off, to heck with the residents!
See why OJ run up the road. #shame
Larna done lef’ we karna mehson
The only persons are going to benefit from this is a set a Foreigners and his friend circle selling things that are not hand made in the BVI. Meanwhile the Elmore Stoutt High School is a Dump! No Cafeteria, children force to sit in a HOT classroom to eat lunch while the teaches rights for a lunch hour is taken away from them to baby sit Big High School Children! All of them went away and see how modern school is structured and came back with Big Paper Degree and don’t have the common sense to do better so these children can have a better High School experience!
preferred it when there were no vendors and the beach was at its natural best
Agree with you. A selected group of vendors will move in and will never pay a cent of rent. Meanwhile getting there Tourists will pass sewerage running down the road. But as mentioned already no Tourists will go there anyhow they will still go to Cane. Did Tourists go to Brandywine Beach after all the money spent there?
“The contract will fund the construction of a vending zone that includes six vending units. Three units are designed for full-service restaurants and bars, alongside an outdoor eating area and an administrative office to support beach management. The vending zone is expected to improve the visitor experience while offering opportunities for local vendors to thrive.”
This beggars belief!!! The beach should be allowed to revert back to its natural pristine state. In earlier times the beach was enjoyed by the East End community. It was not prostituted for tourists and developers.
Who do we have to pressure for dem 100 thousand grants?
The beach businesses will all be hogged by one family
Little minded people will still put them back
East end cannot be resurfaced well sah !
The holes patched opening up