On Thursday, February 26, 2026, Anguilla’s House of Assembly met to consider a resolution for the compulsory acquisition of land for the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport runway extension under Phase 3 of the Airport Master Plan.
The Resolution was brought under Section 2 of the Land Acquisition Act which states that if the Governor in Council considers land necessary for a public purpose, a declaration for its acquisition may be made with the approval of the House of Assembly.
Making the motion was the Hon. Minister of Lands, Mr. Kyle Hodge, who presented the resolution for the compulsory acquisition of several parcels of land in Registration Section South East, including property owned by Conch Bay Development Ltd. and Bernice Lake, for the public purpose of redeveloping and extending the runway.
The resolution stated that it would come into force immediately upon passage.
The Hon. Minister of Infrastructure and Communication, Mr. Jose Vanterpool, stood in support of the motion, describing the process as “a long and somewhat tumultuous journey,” but noting that “we are now seeing the light and are being able to move forward.”
According to Mr. Vanterpool, the first Phase of the runway extension took place in 2003. The lands for that extension underwent an acquisition process starting in the early 2000s and wrapping up in 2004. It took the runway’s length from an original 3,000ft to about 5,000ft were it stands today.
While this allowed the first jets to arrive in Anguilla, in December 2004 and January 2005, the land acquisition matter for that extension was one that resulted in a longstanding litigation.
Mr. Vanterpool noted that this administration has been very careful in making sure that it follows the due process – dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every “t”, as per the guidelines of the Land Acquisition Act.
According to the Hon. Minister Hodge, pending the acquisition of the land in question, it is expected that the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport runway will now be extended to a minimum of 7,000 ft. – approximately 2,000 ft. eastward.
