(CNS): Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has denied accusations that the real reason the Cayman Islands Government wants to buy a small piece of beachfront land in the George Town Harbour is to prepare for a cruise berthing project. The CIG is seeking a compulsory acquisition of Red Spot, which Bryan has said is to support the local fish market there, but people commenting on a number of local forums believe there is an ulterior motive.
The suggestion that the government is not being forthright about this unusual compulsory purchase from a private owner began on environmental forums. However, the owner of the land, Chris Johnson, also believes this might be the real motivation for the UPM’s efforts to force him to sell.
Speaking on Radio Cayman last week, Bryan, who revealed in parliament earlier this month that the CIG is pressing ahead with the compulsory acquisition of the site, also known as Dora’s Beach, said it was one hundred per cent not true that this had something to do with plans for a cruise dock. He said that the government was trying to buy the land to protect something inherently Caymanian and that it would be held in perpetuity for the fisherfolk and all Caymanians.
He admitted that the CIG is offering “way above market value” for the land, fueling suspicions that the strategically located site is destined to be part of a cruise berthing project.
Johnson has been unwavering in his refusal to sell the plot he has owned since 1973. While he accepts that fishermen have sold their catch in the area, mainly from the sea and the ironshore, for many years, he says the stalls were erected illegally in 2008 when concrete was laid directly on the beach land he owns. It is that stall he wants to see removed.
Johnson plans to finish work on the site, where he has constructed a side walk and glass rails, and now wants to complete the project by adding stairs, a wheelchair ramp and benches, but the government’s efforts to buy the land have stalled his planning application. He has said that if he is allowed to finished the project, he will put the land in a trust to create a beach park free from any commercial activity for the people of the Cayman Islands.
Johnson has said he is aware of government claims that it has made offers for his beach, but at this point he has not received any offer on the land in question because it appears the CIG has undertaken a valuation on the wrong piece of land.
Johnson told CNS this week that he received a letter offering a price for OPY6, which he said he does not own. The very small beach area located between the Sandbar and the Cabana restaurants is made up of several parcels, and he doesn’t own all of them, though he does own the parcels where the fishermen had erected the concrete base and stall.
It is not clear how the government made such a fundamental error, but the issue is set to go before the courts in the coming weeks when Johnson has been asked to argue why the government should not be able to take his land.
The suspicion that this attempted forced acquisition is connected to the port plans stems from questions about why the government is putting so much effort into buying this small beach front and why it is willing to pay so much.
This is compounded by the fact that Bryan previously stated that the fish market could move to the waterfront attraction further north that he was seeking to develop during this term. The CIG purchased this land for around $5.6 million in 2021 but it is currently sitting vacant.
However, there has been no further suggestion that the fish market could move to that location and for the last year Bryan has focused heavily on buying Johnson’s land. During his radio appearance, he insisted that this acquisition was part of preserving the local culture and heritage. He said the battle to secure the land was symbolic of the loss of Cayman’s heritage and he had hoped that the owner would have understood the intent.
He said the decision to go forward with the compulsory acquisition had not been made lightly. “But we have to start being prepared to stand for what we identify as Cayman, and this is definitely a symbol of that,” the minister added.
