Grenada Land Actors (GLA) were informed last week that the access to Levera beach from the La Fortune end had been blocked with boulders being placed to deter people from walking to the beach. It also appeared that there was a great deal of burning taking place near the entrance.
Local contractor Dexter Forrester was at the scene and told the Heng Sheng personnel that they could not block access to the beach as it was unlawful and told them to remove the obstacles immediately. The staff seemed not to understand. However, when the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) were called and attended to the matter of the fires, the personnel on site seemed to understand all the instructions; they put out the fires and removed the boulders.
This incident reflects a troubling and recurring pattern in Grenada. Foreign developers continue to act as though beaches in Grenada are private property when, in fact, they are not. This principle was firmly established many years ago during the ‘Brownlow saga’ and has since become part of our ‘common law’ understanding. It is also clearly reinforced “The Integrated Coastal Zone Act” (ICZA) which states clearly that the beach area extending 165 ft from the high water mark is public land.
Yet, across the island, this standard is being steadily eroded.
The developers at La Sagesse continue to stack boulders along the shoreline, restricting public use. At Silversands Beach House, villas have been constructed directly on the beach itself. When GLA measured the site on 27 March 2026, the distance from the high water mark to the first villa was 50 ft (approximately). This is a far cry from the required 165 ft declared by the Act. To compound matters, a “Private Property” sign has been erected at the access point to the beach, just 21 feet from the high-water mark.
Consultations have also recently taken place within the community and have given grounds for concerns that the Silversands developers, already responsible for construction at Beach House Beach, may now be contemplating similar development at Dr Grooms Beach.
Meanwhile, at Woodford, a beach traditionally used by local fishermen — as highlighted by Arley Gill on The Bubb Report on Sunday, 26 April 26 2026 — now appears to be earmarked for a jetty to facilitate the importation of raw materials for an industrial complex. This is proceeding despite strong community opposition and persistent calls for a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before any works begin.
Taken together, these developments point to a slow but steady loss of public beach access in Grenada — often without challenge, and too often without consequence. For generations, Grenadians have used beaches such as La Sagesse, Dr Groom’s, and Beach House for simple, shared traditions — to lime, to cook, to gather with family and friends on weekends and public holidays. These are not luxuries; they are part of our cultural fabric.
The question is no longer whether access is being lost. It is how much more will be taken before Grenadians recognise that their rights and their heritage are being eroded, one beach at a time.
Source: GLA
Grenada people, take back the beaches! They are for the people.
“Equal rights and justice.”
I guess us loosing access to our beaches is less important than playing jab jab.
The future will not be kind to us for being willfully deaf and blind to our plight.