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New beach policy to create designated spaces for animals — Wheatley

When the new national beach policy comes into effect, animals such as dogs and horses will have designated areas to roam.

Minister for Natural Resources Vincent Wheatley said this is necessary to ensure everyone can enjoy their stay on local beaches.

“Right now, we are developing our national beach policy [and it] should be ready to go to the Cabinet information paper in about seven days. It would guide how we handle beaches,” Wheatley said on the Honestly Speaking radio programme on Tuesday.

“If I am on a beach trying to enjoy myself and you have dogs, horses … that cannot work. So the policy will be like: dogs will have to be on a leash, you have to clean up, and this is the area of the beach where you can have your dog. If turtles want to come and hatch in a particular part of the beach, we have to make sure that these things can happen within a particular space.”

The Natural Resources Minister further said persons who are interested in developing the beach will also be guided by the policy.

The same is true for vendors, he said.

“They would have very clear guidelines on how to treat a beach. We want to satisfy all users. If you want to come to the beach as a bather, you want to come and read your book, you should have that space. Just to make sure that everyone can enjoy the beach.”

Beach access

In the meantime, the issue of accessing the beaches of the territory will be another area addressed.

“All beaches are public, and it should have access,” he said.

According to Wheatley, the existing laws governing this resource “needs some clarity to it, and it needs to be enforced.”

With the new policy, he said all the grey areas such as where does the perimeters of a beach start and end will be clearly stated.

“Everyone should know exactly where the beach is,” he argued.

Apart from the beach policy, Wheatley said the Andrew Fahie-led administration is also working on an environmental bill which will come into force in the coming months.

“We have to get better guidelines that are enforceable for how we treat our environment, whether it is filling up ponds or throwing sewerage in the ocean,” he said

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30 Comments

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  1. yolo says:

    There is a beach policy already but its not enforced in DOGS (PREVENTION OF INJURY TO PERSON, LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY) ACT, 2001….I think a perfect beach for there animal is Brandy Wine Bay Beach. Reason why because The Misters Mess up that beach its have fake sand that is hard like concrete that’s why

    Like 11
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  2. ME says:

    Please ensure they clean up their animals droppings. Place proper bins for droppings as well

    Like 17
    Dislike 1
  3. Brent says:

    These animal lovers too nasty. They don’t want clean after they pets. They prefer you step in dog s**t. Too nasty man.

    Like 17
    Dislike 12
    • @Brent says:

      Not everyone who take their dog to the beach is nasty. When I take my dog to the beach, I carry a pooper scooper to pick up his poop and he have a little bone shaped plastic doogie garage bag holder that you attach to the leash. I always clean up after my dog. And to the ones who complain about the dogs in the water, dogs canot urinate or poop in water.

      Like 27
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  4. Troll King says:

    who is that firey goddess on that horse.

    Horse Neighing

    Like 13
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  5. The caucasion says:

    gets whatever they want, then ask that our elected officials take away something from us like the ability to visit a beach or play a little party music, while they can bring a dog and leave his s**t behind for us to walk in and carry home.

    Like 11
    Dislike 32
  6. Sell out says:

    VIP is a sell out to these white people. Who wants to be walking in dog s**t? These people don’t bathe their dogs ever, so pure mange going in the sea water. They making everything comfortable for these caucasian and nothing for locals. Those whites didn’t even want VIP in office, talked so bad about them but now they see where they can bend them at will. VIP won’t hear us but they will hear tourist when they start to complain about the sh###y beaches.

    Like 11
    Dislike 46
    • @Sell out says:

      Like they put ah block on the “thumbs up” on your blog boy.

      Says a lot for the minds of journalism in our community. They clearly are shad characters, period.

      Like 3
      Dislike 8
    • @Sell out says:

      You are such a dirty liar. First of all dummy, Sea water kills germs because of the high level of salt. Honestly,you sound like the one with mange. And FYI,dogs and cats are more cleaner than some of you nasty humans. Don’t get mad because our pets is living better than you are. IE… my dog fly first class,eats gourmet food and treats,only drink Evain water and have his own room full of doogie toys and a custom made doogie bed. You have to understand some people love their pets. We don’t treat our dogs cruel like most of you do here in the BVI.

      Like 20
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    • @Sell out says:

      Because you people destroy everything.you go out somewhere and most of you don’t know how to conduct yourselves in a professional manner. You want to go on the beach with the loud ghetto behaviour disturbing other beach goers who is trying to enjoy the beach.

      Like 22
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    • Online Now says:

      Caucasian, Caucasian, Caucasian … all the evils in the BVI?

      Except – the tourist is also a Caucasian. Now what are you going to do?

      These blogs are so depressing!

      Like 13
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      • M. Tupper says:

        Why is even this made into a race thing? Or an Us – Vs- them Thing? Is there even a problem? If so. put life guards on all the beaches, they should do this any way, fine the people that leave dog droppings or have their dog off leash. Charge a pet fee for bringing your animal to the beach, this could pay for dog bags and trash receptacles. Have time limits for dogs, morning and evening hours, ETC so many ways to solve this without name calling and segregating and an all out ban. Think people. Don’t just react.

    • @Sell out says:

      Then pick up the d**m dog poop and dispose of it if it is bothering you.

      Like 5
      Dislike 3
    • So sell out says:

      How do you know we people don’t bathe our dogs. We take our dogs to the groomers.

      Like 6
      Dislike 2
    • @Sell out says:

      You are so foolish.You seem to have some real hatred towards caucasian people. Maybe your fantasy was to be with a caucasian and you got rejected. Well BUDDY,you have to learn how to get along with the caucasians because we are here and there is not a darn thing you can do about it.

      Like 8
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    • see says:

      one of the stupidest comments seen yet

    • Hummm says:

      You sound like the dark mind local type. I bet everything around you is falling a part and instead of blaming yourself you feel better blaming other people. You have the type of mindset that’s very tasteless. Sad ain’t all we locals think like you.

      Like 1
      Dislike 1
  7. Now now says:

    But that photo though… representing who? Have some sensitivity for BVI people and culture.

    Like 10
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    • Ms.Diva says:

      @Now now, I would have been riding the horse along the beach and surf in my string bikini bottom top less.

      Like 10
  8. Scratching MFH says:

    What is being noticed so far politically with regards legislation and policy is all that have come down the pike are ideas of and from the caucasian community and their desires to have what they want to the detriment or disregard of the majority. Nothing new however. The latest:.

    1: the immigration debacle and selling out of BVislanders future rights to European UK citizens to vote under the disguis as giving “Island people some sort of rightr. Bs! It’s smoke screen!

    2:the defacing and stinking up of nature’s little secrets namely the beaches, with dogs, horses, dog and horse s**t, and naked white women.

    Not one piece of legislation so far of any substance has been generated for or in the interest of the majority. Why so VIP?

    So far all we is: one cr**k got a big contract. Civil servants got a big promise and whites getting every thing they were promised.

    But why are we scrtaching our fing heads though?

    Cause since election prices gone up on just about every thing again including 10 cents pun a plactic bag, dem theif! and we being promise a damn increment and salary increase to pay for a plactic bag and we children haf feh go to scool hungry

    I pay $5.10 this morning for two fry egg and ah lil spoon of salt fish.Tell me dat nah theif nah!! Weh deh government inna all dis meh son?

    An who you think dem beh, white owners robbing us blind an don’t give dem employees a red cent raise in decades! Ah weh deh governmenr inna all dis here?

    Slave plantaion robbery economics going here in these supermarkets you here.

    Time for some serious grass roots change.

    Like 4
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  9. Nag says:

    If she can’t take the horse she can ride on my back anytime.

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  10. Well says:

    Everyone complaining about dogs nastiness by the sea and water when every lunchtime meal is being eaten out of styrofoam! GUESS WHERE THAT ENDS UP? No person or animal will have anywhere to swim if we contaminate everything with our waste. Time to be real about our actual issues here. Basic waste management would be a start…maybe our broken incinerator?? smh.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1

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