Ownership of Old Steamer Beach in limbo
Published:Thursday | January 26, 2023 | 12:55 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
ALTHOUGH representatives of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) held a community consultation meeting with the Hopewell community in Hanover, where the design of a multimillion-dollar development plan for the Old Steamer Beach in that community was exhibited, doubts abound as to whether that development can take place as there is still uncertainty on the ownership of the beachfront property.
The beach forms part of the Orchard property, which has changed ownership several times. Presently, the beach sections of the property are occupied by fishermen and also used by the general public for recreational purposes, this for several years. The section known as ‘Old Steamer Beach’ was so named because the wreckage of a sea vessel has been in the sand in that location for several decades.
The Gleaner got copies of correspondence between the parish council, now Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), and the Ministry of Environment and Housing in the 1990s, proposing that the Government acquire the beachfront areas of the property, with a view to securing access to the beach for residents of the Hopewell community.
One of the documents sent in February 1995 to the then permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Housing states: “The attached documents indicate that fishermen and the public in general have been using the Orchard Beach from in the 1950s, and that the sale of the adjoining Orchard property to private persons over the years has resulted in conflicts between proprietors and users of the beach, and the ultimate threat of these citizens being denied the use of the beach.”
Based on the documents, the then Ministry of Environment and Housing referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Chambers for advice. The response was that the Orchard beachfront area is part of the foreshore of the island.
It reads: “The foreshore is vested in the Crown by virtue of Section 3(1) of the Beach Control Act.”
SUBDIVIDED
A more recent document, however, shows that the present owners of the Orchard property, in general, are Guissette and Daniella Maffesanti, who through their business plans for the property have subdivided it.
With several squatters now occupying sections of the Orchard Beach, the question now is whether the HMC has any documentary claim to the Old Steamer section of the beach, or the section being used by the fishermen of the community.
When The Gleaner checked with Mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC Sheridan Samuels, he noted that he held discussions with representatives of the Maffesanti business interest, and they have promised to hand over to the HMC the land title for the beach areas of the property, which includes Old Steamer Beach and the Fishermen Beach.
“We could have gotten the title from long time, but because of the December holiday break when we were really exploring the whole matter, they (Maffesanti representatives) asked us to wait until the second week in January,” Samuels stated.
“We were told that the title is at the Maffesanti office and we can come and pick it up at any time,” he said.
Samuels stated that once the HMC receives the title the next move will be to get the property surveyed, with a view to knowing the exact borders vested in the HMC, and then all squatters will be dealt with accordingly.
Checks made with the HMC revealed that the title in question is not yet in the hands of the HMC. But according to Samuels, it should be there by the end of January.