by Concerned Citizen
Land ownership in Grenada has traditionally been a source of pride for locals. Title documents have been passed down through generations, and the right to own land has been something that locals hold in high regard, and guard fiercely.
It stands to reason that any threat to those rights by external forces would be met with ire and affront from a broad cross-section of the public.
In recent weeks, the residents of Fort Jeudy, a private development in the south of the Island, have come under the microscope for the lowering of a gate and the placement of a guard at the entrance to the area. Many Grenadians were quick to condemn the actions of the residents of Fort Jeudy, and some even went as far as to call on the “government” to mandate that they remove the gate and not restrict access to the development.
On the surface, the discerning Grenadian would automatically not get caught up in that discussion, because as far as many have always known, Fort Jeudy is a private development, similar to Westerhall Point, and other private developments around the Island and around the world.
The rights of the residents to protect their property against real or perceived threats should not come as a surprise — and again, to the discerning local, it did not. Why? Because ownership of property and the right to enjoy one’s property in peace and comfort is something that we cherish and hold dear — whether that property is in Mt Carmel or Molinere; Telescope or Tanteen; Westerhall Point or The Point. If we hold the title, then we own it, and we have the right to bar trespassers, especially those who are disorderly, overly litter the community, insult residents and drive irresponsibly.
Combine that with a newly discovered “attraction site” and we have a perfect brew for a public storm.
But, let us not be so quick to vilify the residents of the Fort Jeudy development.
Upon examining the facts — yes, there are facts in this case, as there is in every case — the residents of this particular development have done nothing wrong, and contrary to opinion in some circles, they are within their right.
I must hasten to add though, that there were a couple of critical oversights on the part of the Fort Jeudy Association, that, had they employed, the backlash might have been minimised. Firstly, the recently lowered gate and the positioning of a security guard are not new installations. In fact, in the early days of the development, those were regular fixtures, in much the same way as other developments around the Island and world. Had those been maintained over the years, everyone would have been used to them by now; in much the same way as we have become accustomed to in other private developments.
Secondly, the residents should have, or could have informed the public ahead of the action, so that public awareness and education could have mitigated against the backlash seen after they took action.
Now, be that as it may, let’s not ignore the facts that I alluded to earlier. What are the facts?
- The Fort Jeudy development is privately owned. The lots were bought by residents and they hold the titles to their land and property.
- The roads in the development are privately funded by the residents of the development and the original owner — not the taxpayers of Grenada.
- The gates in gated communities are often not meant to prevent access, but to control access.
- The Blowhole, which is the “epicentre” of the recent controversy, is on private property.
- In fact, the Blowhole is on several private properties in the development, and to access the Blowhole, visitors must trespass — and yes, it is trespassing.
Now, in sum, and as I wrap up, picture this: Many years ago, you invested your life savings in a piece of property, in a private development. You did so because you believe you earned it and that it is the place you want to return to after a hard day’s work, or the place in which you want to retire, and spend your days languishing to the cool sea breeze, or gently blowing wind. It’s a quiet, secure area, where residents know each other and look out for each other. A community predominantly made up of born and raised Grenadians — a village in which you want your children to be raised.
Fast forward many years later and enter Covid-19 and a national lockdown. Exit the lockdown and someone or group promotes that on your property, there is a “site of interest.” Without warning, your property becomes viewing point central. Every day, loads of people come onto your property to hang out and view the Blowhole. In the process, they have parties; drink alcohol, litter and do not clean up after themselves. They are often excessively loud and boisterous, and they hurl insults when neighbours ask that they not park in front of home entrances, or that they keep the level of noise down.
Now, you are faced with an onslaught of adventure-seekers and sightseers, clamouring for activities in the aftermath of a national lockdown.
What would you do, if you were one of the residents depicted here? Wouldn’t you long for the peace, comfort and security of yore, and wouldn’t you do what you could to caution the public and control the access? After all, the access you are controlling is to your property.
Let us not forget the most important point of this diatribe. The access being restricted or controlled in this story is for private property — not public.
I am not a resident of Fort Jeudy or any other private development, but I do believe that I would do the same on my property.
So, before we blow too much more steam over the blowhole, let us stop and consider for a moment that sometimes barriers are not meant to insulate those within, but to protect them, as well.
At the end of the day Private Property is Private Property. it is a gated residential neighborhood community. You would go in America and see thousands of them with big gates and Security. That is how the standard Residential community is suppose to be. In Grenada they always have to find a right to trespass and break into private property. I would not feel comfortable black or white for people coming into my neighborhood trashing around garbage, playing loud music, blocking the road and illegally parking. What do you think will happen when they start to give the public access to these developments? People would start going their to dump their garbage, start squatting and it will encourage more people to go there and cause disturbances and start breaking into homes. When I go in places like these I try to be as respectful as I can walking peacefully. Unlike the locals they would just be causing disturbances. Ever since the start of 2020 there has been some bad and negative things happening. There is no need for people to feel so angry over the fact that some lies and rumors make them feel like there is colonialism again. Why is this happening again? I could understand the way people feel about the fact that they are being blocked by accessing public beaches and lands but at the end of the day. When there starts to be some bad activity going around they will have no choice but to put up some gates. The development should have anyways had gates in the first place. There needs to be more developments and residential communities being developed before squatters go around like crazy lands building impoverished infrastructure.
well what grenadians do. build a little piece of shack that will fall apart in no time. squatting will start creating poverty. the government needs to be more strict with the way people behave. claiming what is not theirs. i go in america in canada. well organised. whoever have private property its theirs. too much democracy in this country man! people need to be quiet and leave developments alone. white man with blue eyes come here and build massive project worth billions creating development people say no no no no no! white man with blue eyes come and help build singapore and dubai, look at the results. we cant be giving land to people who don’t handle them well. in the next year or two. you would hear fort jeudy and egmont and mt.hartman be the next dumpsite for grendians. at all times locals should not be given the right to access any development and property. This country is about 87% black african descent. Fort jeudy is about 97% of property are owned by people who are black. what is the fuss?? this country has gotten worst this year.
Grenadians. Let’s be honest. At the end of the day when someone owns a piece of property and for some reason a person trespasses and they find some kind of resource how would you feel if Hundreds of people started coming to Exploit and try to take what is not theirs. You can put it that way. Private Developments are private Developments. Grenadians just don’t understand that as yet. I have never been to the Blow Hole but I am willing to visit. But still. If it is Private I know I don’t have the right to go there. Now listen. When you start seeing more people coming into Fort Jeudy. The residents would be feeling very uncomfortable and start to feel unwelcoming. That leads to the encouragement of more commoners trying to go break into homes and properties and that will encourage more dumping. Look at Mt.Hartman. It is turning into a dumpsite. Why did they put up the Gates? For some stupid reason people were attracted to go there and dump their Garbage instead of heading up Perseverance. Now tell me why they should start giving locals more access to these properties?? The Blow Hole has been there for decades and no one really cared to visit. Why only until now when everyone start going to discover it they want to lodge a protest??? Grenadians you need to re educate yourselves and Respect Private Property. This Article is well put together. It shows how ignorant we are given the Fact that we should claim what is not ours. When you see a private development taken place. THAT PEOPLE PAYED HARD EARNED CASH FOR, no one has the right to come and claim it. You would go on Malibu beach on California where some lots come with beaches worth millions of dollars. At the end of the day I have no right to claim it because it is Private Property. People need to shut it and stop making a fuss. The thing has been there for as long as Grenada has come into existence. There are some very terrible things that have been going on in Grenada in 2020. Rumors and lies are being created for the Destruction of Investment and Development and people are starting to get too out of hand. If the developers of the Development feel that they have the right to put up a gate for a reason they can do that because they own the land! Grenadians are like little ants trying to build up insecure huts. Squatters claiming what is not theirs creating poverty. If Grenadians had the right to access every single piece of land, the country would have been in such an impoverished state with some of the most terrible infrastructure. But let’s be honest at the end of the day it is not segregation Poor stay where they belong and rich stay where they belong. I know we have the right to stand up for things that might be ours but we don’t have the right to claim what is not ours.
Your comment should be correctly called protecting public access to beaches rather than protecting private property. It is old and well-established law that nobody owns the beach but the crown. Our government has now stepped into the shoes of the crown.
Beach access is a universal right and it’s necessary for the public enjoyment of the beach. There is an inherent right of access to and the long all beaches.. Fort Judy homeowners association should work with the public to ensure the preservation and enjoyment of the beaches by all parties concerned, with due regard for the interest of property owners. In addition Public Access is based on the application of laws such as customary use Doctrine which is the ancient, peaceful and uninterrupted use by the public of all of Grenada beaches. By law all development must be conditioned on the guarantee of beach access to the public. We take beach access for granted, but it’s up to us to realize that public access to beaches is a constant struggle. However begrudgingly it might do so, fort Judy Association must allow Public Access the Beach that borders its property. Should they fail to do so, the government which which is people’s representative must enforce the law.
The thing has been there for years. Just stop claiming every time you discover. I don’t know why it is such a problem now. Before you people would have had the right to claim that before development took place but it is way too late and no you cannot claim it.
This anonymous article raises some interesting questions. My musings. Private property is a concept we have all embraced in this part of the world but let us not forget that not everyone here has the means to own land much less land near the coast or in the more sought after areas of our islands. I zero in on coastal lands. We live on an island. Island people take beaches, headlands, bays, rivers, waterfalls, lakes etc. for granted, as natural as the yet clean air that we breathe. And why not: after all they are part of our patrimony for all to enjoy as it should be.
Middle Earth is for all to cherish protect and enjoy. So we litter, this is not a problem unique to us. Easy seeming solution – lock out, ban everyone who we think might litter? Or do we strive to educate, to put measures in place to deal with the almost inevitable litter and noise? All beaches are public but that is fast becoming an empty phrase if access is not ensured and I mean proper public access not squeezing down a drain or slithering along a treacherous track or making a way as necessity dictates.
Our laws permit for the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that we have access to all beaches, and places of natural and cultural interest but have they done so? Where the coastline can only be assessed through so called gated communities have they put measures in place so that both those behind the gates and the public can peacefully share these amenities? What of Calivigny Island? What of Sandy Island, Hog? We see mega resorts being built, impossibly tall perimeter walls erected (perhaps ostensibly to act as noise buffers?) which steal our vistas of the ocean and keep them for privileged eyes only.
Have we seen green spaces reserved, especially our haunting impossibly scenic headlands, sites of natural beauty set aside for rest and relaxation for all? Or do we have to depend on the largesse of the noble- minded landowners or always face the threat of being dubbed trespassers? Will we never cater to the wretched of the earth? Environmental justice for all not just a few who can purchase it. Do we yet sleep?
I was recently reminded of the ominous and fast becoming true words of our former Director of the OECS Dr. Len Ishmael. Dr. Ishmael in January 2008 spoke of,’ the sobering long term negative effects on the Future of, ‘ the boom in development of some of our Member States and the real consequence for the patrimony of OECS folk’.Dr. Ishmael spoke of the rise in investments in high profile resort developments, of prime lands being bought by foreign investors, the effect on the price of land and property , that all of our beaches, even most remote ones are surrounded either by plans for a new resort, or by resorts – ‘some of whom are installing their beach furniture right down to the water’s edge as if in first-line defense to deter a wandering local public;’ others are erecting fences and gates on the beach with security guards posted at the entrances, of our islands being bought and sold to an international clientele.
Dr. Ishmael surmised that while some of this money will trickle through our economies that several negative effects are fast emerging –l and prices have no realistic basis anymore, the average OECS person is finding it almost impossible to break into the class of land owners within their own countries, that land once sold on the foreign market is never traded on the local market again; that and I quote, ‘ huge acreages of scenic landscape are being alienated from the quiet use and enjoyment by locals as increasingly large chunks of countryside are being developed, fenced and gated; that several resorts are acting in ways to intimidate locals from using beaches on which their resorts have frontage and that in the process of development which in this case is all tourism related, every single vista or window to the beach is being closed off and yet is there anything more fundamental for an islander than the ability to commune with the ocean? What are we doing in the name of development? At what price is development? Is alienation of the rights of islanders a realistic price for what we define as progress? After the land is gone, what’s left?’
I answer- slavery in a new guise.
It is well known by now that Grenadians are extremely sensitive to any changes that hint at a return to colonialism – which they despise and abhor. What this means is that any perceived attempt to stop Grenadians from access to beaches or special sites will be met with extreme criticism and negativity. However, in the final analysis, are the landowners right or wrong to object to public trespassing on their own property? In my view, they are well within their legal rights to do so. Without respect for those rights, our society will most certainly descend into anarchy.
But should there be an entrance gate to Fort Judy or any other private development in Grenada? Again, my response would be yes – there should be. Please remember that we are not talking about any public facilities in the actual residential area but simply the residences themselves. While no one should be restricted from entering the area, they must do so on the understanding that they cannot infringe on the rights of the residents or owners by carrying out thoughtless acts like blocking the driveway of residents with their vehicles. I do not live in Fort Judy or in any similar residential area but I would certainly be extremely offended if visitors showed up at my home location and were engaged in playing loud music, blocking access roads, and violating private property rights in the process.
thank you well said!
Well said
To everyone commenting about private this and that, do you know that to access the Royal Mt. Carmel falls you have to pass thru someone’s yard? I believe we just need a better system in place. Why should any one person have use and be able to enjoy a newly assigned national sight? Just to separate the rich from the poor? We need togetherness everyone w=should be able to enjoy this beautiful sight locals and foreigners. “If the Abatement of Litter Act 2015 could at last be implemented and enforced, that would help.” well said Ian Blaikie. Squatters creates poverty? Or is it poverty that creates squatting? Sorry I’m just a college dropout
While I understand all this …what about access to the beach is this private property or privately owned ?
Why Grenadians want to find reasons to claim what is not theirs? Same issue with Squatters creating poverty in this country! Lanse Aux Pines and fort Jeudy have been developments that were there for years! Grenadians need to shut up and stop finding ways and reasons to go trespass on private property. Not everywhere is public and it won’t be public due to littering and dumping. Why you think they locked up mt.hartman with gates? STOP TRYING TO CLAIM WHAT IS NOT YOURS. it is not right! Blow Hole has been there for years! Only until now when they start to discover places then you will see people starting to demonstrate just because what they try to claim is not years. Grenadians be quiet go educate yourselves!