Old Steamer Beach development in limbo

WESTERN BUREAU:

The planned development of the Orchard Beach property in Hopewell, Hanover has hit a snag as the pegs which were used as boundary markers by local land surveyor, Preston D Demetrius and Associates, were removed by unknown people.

“Since we did the survey, and the surveyor put in the pegs, I cannot say who, but someone has dug out the pegs,” Xavier Munroe, deputy superintendent of Roads and Works at the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), told a recent meeting of the corporation’s Physical Planning and Environment Committee.

Lucea’s Mayor Sheridan Samuels described the act as a case of ‘malicious destruction’ of property and encouraged HMC agents to find the persons responsible, noting that thousands of dollars had been spent to carry out the survey.

Samuels further tasked the HMC’s legal team to identify documentation on the surrounding beachfront property to ascertain its ownership.

“We have to put this matter to rest. We cannot have someone terrorising us (the HMC) like this, and I use such a strong word because what we have seen (on our diagram concerning the boundaries) speaks for itself,” said Samuels, who hinted that no meaningful work can be done until all the issues are settled.

The ownership of the beachfront property and the adjoining area was the source of much contention earlier this year as at least two people came forward claiming rights. The matter was seemingly resolved when Maffesanti Limited, a land development company, provided the original title for the property to the HMC.

The property, popularly known as the Old Steamer Beach, had been scheduled for development by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in 2022, but the issue surrounding its ownership then, had halted preliminary work. The Old Steamer Beach is among 22 beaches across the island which have been identified for development by the government agency.