There is to be another meeting on the proposed yacht marina in the Road Salt Pond, Sandy Ground. The coming public consultation, on Wednesday, October 28, will be at the Teachers’ Resource Centre from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, and is to be held by Premier Dr. Ellis Webster and Cabinet.
That public consultation comes on the heels of the first meeting, called by the Sandy Ground Committee, at Roy’s Restaurant at Road Bay on Friday, October 9. The crowded gathering saw an outburst of objections to the project by residents following statements by a number of selected speakers from the area.
One of the expressed fears, among other concerns, was that the project would be bad for the sand bar village, nestled precariously between the sea to the west, and the pond to the east, with a flood-prone connecting channel from the sea. One of the arguments was that the village strip would disappear into the mud. This assumption, however, did not give any consideration as to whether the developing company had any preventative measures in place to protect its investment.
The newly-elected Anguilla Progressive Movement (APM) has made the point that, shortly after coming to office in June, 2020, it had discovered a signed MOU for the Road Pond Yacht Marina. The agreement was signed by the Anguilla United Front Government and the Sandy Ground Development Ltd., a company said to have its head office in Switzerland and registered in Nevis.
Speaking recently about the proposal, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, the former AUF Minister of Home Affairs, now Leader of the Opposition, defended the reason for the MOU. She stated, among other matters, that former Premier, Mr. Victor Banks and Cabinet, had seen the project as a means of diversifying the tourism-based economy and increasing job opportunities.
Meanwhile, Premier Dr. Ellis Webster said he and his Cabinet believed in continuing Government and would examine the project from that perspective. He also made the point that the APM Government was awaiting the Environmental Impact Assessment Study and that, if there were no issues to be concerned about, the Government would be prepared to go ahead with the development. He indicated, however, that it would be a matter for the people to decide as well.
Within recent days, some persons or person, said to be undertaking some construction work, bulldozed an area of land located just east of Tasty’s Restaurant at South Hill, overlooking Road Pond and a portion of the sea. It is the first time that the pond has been seen from that angle which provides a truly enthralling and magnificent spectacle. It stretches from just above the line of buildings to the west – to the bulrushes of the pond at the eastern end – with a set of villas in the background on the northern hillside. The stunning scene lends itself to the imagination of a beautiful yacht marina in the pond but, with public disagreement running high, at least in Sandy Ground, the project appears to be up in the air.
Taking into account public sentiment in Sandy Ground, perhaps the island on a whole, the Government’s own indecision, and the urgent need for economic development and job creation, the million-dollar question is: The Road Pond Yacht Marina: To Be or Not To Be?
