Gov’t cracking down on unauthorised beach activities
The Ministry of Natural Resources is warning the public that it will be cracking down on the practice of unauthorised events and activities being held on the territory’s beaches.
Natural Resources Minister Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull said in a statement in the House of Assembly on Wednesday that many persons and organisations are carrying out commercial and non-commercial activities and events on local beaches without the required permission.
According to the beach policy formalised back in 2020, people are required to apply to the Ministry of Natural Resources & Labour — whether by filing an application or a written letter — to use beaches for any commercial activity; regardless of the size of operation, presence or absence of a structure, type of structure or whether its temporary or permanent operation.
“This applies to all bars or restaurant operations, snack vending, souvenir crafting, beach chair rental, watersport operations, other nature-based activities, hair-braiding activities, spa massaging or any other activities involving the sale of goods and services at the beach,” Turnbull noted.
The policy further requires the ministry’s approval of non-commercial activities in cases where there would be groups larger than 50 persons, where there are loudspeakers and/or open fires.
Persons are required to file an application or a letter written to the Ministry of Natural Resources & Labour for approval.
Illegally squatting on the Crown’s land
Turnbull said that in addition to violating the beach policy, in many instances persons are “building structures on beaches illegally and even squatting on the Crown’s land”.
“Persons are also operating without basic legal requirements such as the trade license, liquor licence, and food handlers licence. In addition to requiring permission for the use outlined above, the beach policy sets out perimeters within which persons must operate to ensure the protection of beaches and the enjoyment for all users. For example, the policy states that no equipment or beach chairs should remain on the sandy areas of the beach unless they are in use. All items not in use must be immediately removed from the sandy area,” the minister explained.
Notwithstanding this stipulation of the policy, Turnbull said authorities within the ministry have observed on numerous occasions a direct violation on several of the beaches in the territory.
He said that following these unauthorised events, empty beach chairs are often abandoned for days causing obstruction of views and obstructing the use of preferred areas of beachgoers.
Police and AG’s Chambers to get involved
Turnbull also said the policy prohibits the cutting or removal of beach vegetation but complained that commercial operators have cleared a large section of vegetation on Beef Island/Long Bay beach.
“The ministry will not continue to tolerate such blatant violations around beach use and management. The ministry will collaborate with the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, the community partners, Town & Country Planning Department, Trade Department, Attorney General’s Chambers and other relevant authorities to upload the beach policy and to enforce the applicable legislation,” Turnbull warned.
“That means in the future persons can expect for unapproved events and activities to be discontinued. We are simply asking that persons comply with the rules and regulations,” added Turnbull who noted that if the territory doesn’t preserve the its beaches, eventually reckless behaviour will chase away the very businesses persons are trying to benefit from today.
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If you are not going to enforce the rules you are wasting time. There are persons in this country(local and foreign) who feel like they can do what ever the hell they want without any dam consequences.
More jokes for election year. Everyone know not a damn thing will be done here. Go walk cane next week and see I’m wrong?
You can not even see the sand at Cane any more with all the empty beachchairs…..ugly
Mitch boy I hope you understand the can of worms that you are opening here because your constituents on Cane Garden Bay Beach are the biggest culprits especially when it comes to structures being built further and further down the beach!
As much as I want to see this happen and our beaches cleaned up, its all talk no action as always.
The beach chair, yes, rather unsightly. No idea why they are allowed to be placed that far down the beach. No one wants to pay $10 for your trash chairs, sir! Urghh
THE BVI IS A COWBOY TOWN WHERE EVERYBODY DO AS THEY PLEASE
the BVI has great beaches on the outer uninhabited islands that can only be accessed by boat during the day. Those beaches will remain unblemished for a few more decades before ‘progress’ arrives there!
Come to VG where is the right of way to LDB Beach.Why I have to get security permission to visit my f**king beach.
Please send a Government approved Marine/Beach Rehabilitation Crew to Long Bay Beach then. I look back at pics from right before Irma and what a reminder of how beautiful the beach WAS. It looks totally abandoned now.
This is not the way we need to advertise to the world. There are too many rules that make it harder for tourists to come here.
Every thing that we do should trigger “how is this going to effect tourism??”
At some point, the tourists are going to stop coming!
Yes please, enforce the law in all areas;
beaches, stopping cars and busses where it is unsafe to do so, littering, illegal dumping, bad driving, no helmets on scooter drivers, noise! The list goes on and on.
long bay east is nasty. litter everywhere. boats anchor right where people swim. illegal and ugly tents and chairs everywhere. it used to be real nice.there needs to be enforcement as this is out of control. the only nice beach left for locals on tortola and everyone destroying it quick. next!
It’s exactly this kind of restriction on the selfish people who destroy our environment that is needed to preserve what is left for tourists to enjoy.
Everywhere you look there are locals destroying our environment. You can’t blame foreigners for this. It’s us that does this.
The bvi wild wild west everybody enforcing their own laws and doing what they want .
Shanty shacks and bush lean too’s selling food and drink with chairs nobody wants and nobody going to pay for all over the beach. I don’t mind legit food venders – but these ghetto shacks making our beach look horrible and cheap.
I went to Long Bay Beach and the noise on that beach. Every car pulled up and was blasting music. I just left because I got an instant headache. And when you asked the animals if they could turned down their speaker that they parked directly next to your chair they start cursing and carrying on
This is just a way of blinding the people of the bvi they would tell you u need to get the right papers to do ur businesses knowing they will never give it to you then bring in some big out side company to do the same thing the people of the bvi can do just to put more money in there own pockets dont be fool by the government they only care about them self not the people
Everyone knows how bold & nasty this guys is. He has squatted on private and crown property for years. Was taken to court and lost. He was ordered to move and yet he is still there. Why and how does he keep getting a trade license? He has a vendor license that has turned into a full restaurant, bar, ice cream shop, chairs up and down the beach. Aggressive and rude. But the police do nothing, Mitch does nothing, Government does nothing. He has been arrested on many occasions for assaulting customers. REALLY!!!! Let’s see what happens now. Put your money where your mouth is Mitch.
Let’s talk about that beach bar in cane responsible for putting the wooden swing in the water. That place looks so unsightly now. Looks like a beach shantytown. Just ridiculous. Not to mention the neighbors down the other end of the beach who pack the beach as close to the shoreline as possible with beach chairs and before you step foot on the beach coming harass you bout you can’t use our shares unless you patronize. If y’all didn’t take up every square inch of the sand I wouldn’t need to use your chairs. So congested. They should limit the number of chairs allowed on the beach for commercial use.
So what they are saying is that we have to apply for permission from the government to have a birthday barbecue on the beach. Is this the world we want to leave for our children?