Petition to Save Trouya Beach Submitted

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When Compton had dared to tamper with “sacred” ground between the Pitons to allow for the development of the Jalousie project, from out of nowhere sprung Saint Lucia’s first environmental group. Perhaps inspired by Walcott’s angst in poetry about the development, the Saint Lucia Environment Action Council SLEDAC included painter Llyewellyn Xavier, Len Ishmael then a lecturer at UWI, and aspiring politician Kenny Anthony. “May the next generation curse a government so blind, it handed over a nation sealed, delivered and signed,” Walcott wrote in Litany to the Pitons first published in the STAR.

Will those who now lead the country heed the words of Walcott and avoid the full wrath of the next generation, by not selling out the country’s patrimony and the few remaining beaches to foreign developers? The residents of Trouya are hoping so and are calling for wisdom to prevail as they seek the intervention of Government to save one of the few remaining public beaches on the island. Of major concern to residents of Trouya Point is the negative environmental impact this will have on the small beach in the area, one utilized by many locals from near and far.

The residents fear that a recent proposed development will bar locals from proper access to the beach. The proposal by a French developer is for a touristic development to be built on two sets of lots – one part is just a queen’s chain lot which will house an actual hotel and a villa, with the other unit duplexes of 2 and 3 bedrooms spread around the bay. Effectively a sixty-six room establishment will be put on the tiny bay that is less than a hundred yards, residents say.

Given less than three weeks to respond to the DCA’s notice for a change of use of Trouya Point from residential to commercial, Lincoln Weekes and other concerned residents immediately raised objection to the development. With a December 12 deadline to respond, they have received the support of 85 percent of residents who have signed a petition voicing their disapproval. Through a Facebook page they have also commanded the nation’s attention to save the Trouya beach and have received widespread support.

On Wednesday December 10, the community members called a press conference ahead of submitting their petitions and findings on the project to government. “As we prepare to celebrate National Day and what is ours, we thought it was imperitive for us to speak to the nation about this issue which indeed is a national one,” Weekes, the spokesperson for the concerned residents said Wednesday. He gave the press an overview of the project and how it will impact the residents and the area in general. Weekes is also questioning the demarking of the some of the areas on the queens chain in pursuit of the development. “Today it’s the Trouya beach; tomorrow somewhere else,” he added. According to residents, following the submission of the petition to government and the relevant agencies they will continue their advocacy of, and rally support for, the Trouya beach and adjoining queen’s chain to remain for public use. The group has also found support from a number of schoolteachers and principals who have used the beach for recreation and school projects. A number of Gros Islet fishermen who sometimes land sardines on the Trouya beach are also in support.

On Wednesday afternoon the Trouya residents submitted their petition along with a cover letter raising their objection to the proposed hotel development entitled Trouya Cove.

“So now we await the government’s decision as to whether we keep the beach for public use or we sell out to private gain,” Weekes said. “But we will stop at nothing within our legal options to see to it that the Trouya beach remains for free use by Saint Lucians,” he emphasized.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Rick that beach have a long history…..45 years ago my dad almost got shot when he broke down a gate the then owners of the surrounding land put to keep the locals out…..we selling all our beach property to hotels for quick cash when we can make more if all hotels were at least 1/4mile from so called queens chain…..we Destroying the very thing that attract rich environmentally conscious tourist…..we’ll done Compton……we’ll done king…..we’ll done Kenny……..tick tock

  2. I see it as a good step!! The more vacation accomodations the more tourists that will come. If you’all pulled your dumb-ass heads out of the sand, you’d realize we are a tourism dependent nation. To move forward and prosper without always exending our begging hand to taiwan or China for a bit of their tablescraps to fall into, yo’d soon realize we need development to truely remain a independent nation. I say,”sell it, pave it”. so we can get on with making a living serving the tourist sector. That is our future! embrace it or get out of the way, and get left behind! I’m no fool, I’m climbing on board for the profitable ride. See Ya beggars!

    • Fool this tourism trip is sure to make us worst beggars than we are now. The pittance paid to local workers by the foreign hoteliers who get all kinds of concessions to come to St. Lucia and contribute so little taxes is not worth the cost of theis massive sellout.

    • Bermuda is a bigger tourist destination than St Lucia despite her smaller size yet she not selling an inch of land to these foreign entities. Don”t you get it? The Governments pass and present is guilty of “selling out we patrimony” and this is equivalent to high treason.

  3. Has anyone seen the Anthony Bourdain CNN Special on Port Antonio (Jamaica’s Soufriere) ? Watch this in its entirety and this will give you a clear insight as to what’s happening all over the Caribbean Islands . This CNN Special gives a clear insight of how Hotelier Politicians view there Caribbean Pristine Treasures it’s all about business ; BIG BUSINESS, and the average Joe has nothing to gain. There is no more Mayberry in the Caribbean.

  4. Its a rap sign sealed and delivered. Sad to say this is happening all over the Caribbean the country needs development and investments (so they say) Hotelier Politician has salivated of the idea of having high end development of the Pitons for years and I would not be surprise if there is a secret pop up art of the development some where around of which they agree or should I say greed to. Money loves money and their vision and platform on which they stand is a St Lucia of high end developments they will NEVER publicly admit to this . There is more than one way to kill a Mocking Bird.

  5. Make no joke, when hungry bellies and abused people see the the only spoils to be enjoyed are but by a privileged few and they know the spoilts were stolen from them and their forebears it makes for a dangerous concoction of deadly revolt. History is replete with it, modern society are filled with the results of the now generation fighting back and ravaging their own countries to roll back what took many generations to come to fruition , Is this what we want. No!!!. So it is time to tell the corrupt politicians Stop!!!!

  6. I hate to say it, but successive Governments have pushed St Lucians to the brink for mere pittance from foreigners and this even more bankrupt Government is no different if not worse, Unless we take stock now we will one day wake up and find every thing we value in the hands of foreigners and Lucians going to what ever lengths necessary to reclaim their heritage. Even violence and bloodletting, Our politicians are doing to us what the British and coloni, l powers did to African nations which see the kinds of events which transpires in Zimbabwe today in a misguided attempt to right the wrongs of the past. Is it when these places start to go up in flames and Lucians stricken by poverty begin to behave like the people in the streets of Haiti, and these businesses start to require heavy military like security {like I see all over certain Latin American countries} to guard their turf, our politicians will learn, Or when arnachy begins to transform this once peaceful tranquil paradise into a war zone and our loving people take up arms against their own government, and civil strife and disobedience becomes the order of the day the gargoyles and parasites which see no evil with the treachery of elected officials be satisfied to say enough is enough and pull support from these jackals we are forced to elect election after election. I may sound harsh and crude if not insane, but the stage is being set for future homegrown acts of terrorism in the name of freedom. Make no joke, when…

  7. Kenny wants a hotel on every beach, he is selling St. Lucia at jammet prices, and we are talking jammet specials. The only place all the neg will be able to swim is in the river mouths.

  8. Good stuff. Keep the property developers out They are complete parasites and will stop at nothing to make a quick buck.

    I defy you to look at pictures of old fishing villages, then see the dirty skyscrapers built on them and say it’s better now.

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