Fraser Halts Exclusive Access Plan For The Baths

Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands (NPTVI) Hon. Julian Fraser, has directed the Trust to refrain from entering into any agreement that could provide exclusive access to The Baths and Devil’s Bay National Parks, pending a full review of the controversial proposal by the Government.

The disclosure came during a public Zoom meeting hosted by the NPT on Thursday which attracted close to 200 participants amid mounting public opposition to proposals from unnamed entities seeking periods of exclusive access to the internationally renowned Virgin Gorda attractions.

Chairman of the NPTVI Board Clyde Lettsome revealed Fraser’s intervention after Ninth District Representative and Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon. Vincent Wheatley, questioned the Minister’s position on the controversy and asked why discussions were continuing given the anxiety the proposal was creating among Virgin Gorda residents.

“The issue we have is with exclusive access. No one that I have spoken to has agreed to exclusive access,” Wheatley told the meeting.

He noted that a similar issue arose in 2021 when he held responsibility for the NPTVI and said he opposed the concept then and continues to oppose it.

Wheatley questioned whether Fraser had spoken to the Board or issued any directive concerning the proposed arrangement.

In response, Lettsome disclosed that Fraser had already formally intervened, reading from an August 19 letter sent to him by the Deputy Premier.

According to Lettsome, Fraser wrote that unless the Trust could convince him otherwise, he had an obligation under the relevant legislation to ensure compliance.

“Accordingly, I must direct that the Board refrain from entering into any agreement until the matter is fully vetted to the satisfaction of the Government,” Fraser wrote, according to the passage read by Lettsome.

The Chairman said he responded to Fraser on August 21, confirming that the NPTVI had complied with the directive and paused negotiations with the cruise operators.

“Now that is where things stand,” Lettsome told participants.

He acknowledged the widespread opposition and concerns surrounding the proposal, saying the Trust could not simply ignore them.

“I know what the end result of this is supposed to be, is that we have no private access,” Lettsome said, while explaining that the Trust would still have to examine measures such as rest periods at The Baths for conservation purposes.

bold textWheatley Questions Purpose Of Meeting

Wheatley, however, questioned why the public consultation was proceeding given Fraser’s apparent position and the level of anxiety the matter had generated among his constituents.

Opposition to the proposal has intensified in recent days, with a petition against exclusive access attracting more than 2,000 signatures.

The central concern raised during the meeting was that any arrangement granting a private company exclusive use of The Baths or Devil’s Bay for specified periods would effectively prevent Virgin Islanders from accessing the beach, a right many have fought over the years to protect.

Attorney Paul Webster, KC, was among those taking a firm position against the concept, warning that the duration of any restriction was secondary to the fundamental question of public rights.

“It does not matter what you say or dress up, the fact is that the people of the Virgin Islands are being denied access to these National Parks at the times that you have specified,” Webster argued.

He warned that allowing a private enterprise to purchase exclusive rights could establish a “dangerous precedent” for the Territory and argued that there must be other ways for the Trust to raise revenue and pursue its noble objectives without restricting public access.

NPTVI Director Dr. Cassandra Titley-O’Neal maintained that the Trust had not acted illegally and acknowledged that the proposal could ultimately have to be changed.

She said the Trust may have to return to the company involved and explain that, based on the Territory’s laws and regulations, exclusivity in the form originally contemplated could not proceed, with the ultimate decision resting with the Board.

bold textHigher Fees Instead

There was broad consensus among participants that the NPTVI should instead consider increasing entrance and user fees at The Baths and other parks as a means of generating additional revenue for conservation and maintenance.

Participants argued that visitors could pay more to experience one of the Territory’s premier attractions without the Trust surrendering public access for specified periods to private commercial interests.