A storm is brewing at the popular Browne’s Beach on Bay Street, St Michael.
Sea bathers, boat owners and others who use the beach are upset about the dumping of stones, which has prevented them from walking and driving vehicles on an area to which they have had access for many years.
However, a man, who would only give his name as Sven, said he was the owner of the land and he intended to stop what he saw as abuse and illegal use of the beach.
Several people who use Browne’s Beach regularly contacted THE NATION to complain about the dumping of the stones.
“Truckloads of stones are being dumped here blocking the path that we would normally use,” one man, who did not want to give his name, said.
He pointed out that he had spoken to Sven, whom he described as the “white man with the long hair”.
“He is saying that he own the beach. I contacted the NCC [National Conservation Commission] and they cannot give me any satisfaction. A lot of tourists use this beach and this man got out here in a mess,” he lamented.
Nicholas Hurley, who has been working next door at the dive shop for eight years, said Sven was making claims to a significant portion of the land, which had always been public access.
“The guy next door, when he moved in earlier this year, said he had claims to the land here. He brought guys to do land surveying, to measure the high-water mark, and whatever report they gave him, he decide to make claims to this land.
“He dropped the stuff here . . . to block off the area. He even ask the boat owners to remove their boats,” Hurley revealed. “But we all know this is custom and this is where the old fish market was. So we believe this is Crown land that he is dumping on. We notified the relevant authorities – NCC and Coastal Zone Management Unit – and the NCC came out here and check. This is bad for tourism.”
However, Sven explained that he was only trying to eliminate the abuse of the beach which he claimed was illegal and had been going on for many years.
Pointing out that people believed the land was Government-owned because “it abuts municipal land”, Sven said the owner of the property, which included a two-storeyed house, was his uncle.
“I am trying to restore the building. The building was abandoned for 15 years and a paro was living here. And what a lot of people don’t like is me. They see me as an interloper, but I learned to swim here. I grew up in this building until I was 15 years old.”
Since moving back to Bay Street, Sven said he noticed that the area was being abused and he sought to put a stop to it. He banned vehicle access and parking on the land.
As to the dumping of the stones, he said those were put on the beach because every time it rained, the area became flooded with more than eight inches of water. He said he had asked the NCC for its “Bobcat” to level the stones and was awaiting a reply.
He pointed out that the area had become transformed after his uncle gave permission for a boat to be constructed on his land, which took 13 years to build.
He charged that the boat owner “put concrete slabs on the area, put marl on top of the sand and took down the iron bars” which the NCC had put across the area to prohibit vehicular access.
“They built a road and people think that it is a road. I’ve been to the police, showed them the land parameters because I have the deed, and the police told me, ‘Yes, you are the owner of the land’. I can do whatever I want with it.”
In addition, he said the groynes which were installed by the Hilton Hotel had “changed the tide and the current” and had brought a lot of sand on the beach.
“So the beach has changed dramatically in the last 40 years,” Sven said.
As a result, he explained, he was trying to restore the beach and bring law and order to the area.
“I spoke to Keith Neblett at NCC, and I’ve been to Town and Country Planning and the Coastal Zone Management Unit.
“I have been asking people for a year, do not drive on the beach and they are telling me, ‘You don’t own the beach’. I’ve been asking nicely, and they ignore me. There was a time when I wanted to go the beach and there were six, eight, 12 cars here, and they don’t even use the parking lot. They come here and play volleyball and they would park all their cars on the beach. So, I put a stop to that.”
Sven said he was also concerned that since banning people from driving on his land, some people were now driving on the beach, which he said was a UNESCO World Heritage Site and turtle nesting area.
“I have spoken to all the dive guys, but they don’t care,” Sven said, pointing out their access area was actually the road next door.
In relation to the boats on the beach, he insisted that they too were on his land.
“The NCC statute, the Coastal Zone statute and the Shipping Act says no boats should be launching here. They are saying they have been doing this for years, but that does not make it legal. The official launch site, according to the fishing act, is between Boat Yard and . . . .”
Sven insisted there was “a method to my madness”.
“This property was abandoned. It isn’t anymore. I am not trying to be nasty; I don’t hate the neighbours. I am not trying to be the boss,” he stressed. “I am trying to enforce the environmental aspect of the beach. I just want to preserve the beach.”
This column was unable to reach Neblett, who is the general manager of the NCC, for a response. (MB)
