From This
To This
As is well known, the “Green Boatyard” company (owners Peter ‘Champy’ Evans, David Roberts and Christopher Husbands) is building an industrial boatyard in Mt Hartman Bay on land leased from the Government of Grenada. The lease allows building only a marina but our “Green” friends are violating the lease and building a boatyard. A boatyard will contaminate the sea with aquatic poisons and require removal of mangroves to dredge, pile and build concrete slipways in the sea. All this within a stone’s throw of the Dove Sanctuary and a Marine Protected Area and in a Bay with nesting sites for Critically Endangered Hawksbill Turtles.
Would you not think Government would be concerned about this? Would you not think Government knows the difference between a marina and a boatyard? Would you not think Government would realise that an industrial boatyard in this location will blight the whole of Mt Hartman for future use for environmentally sound development in educational, health or tourism uses? Would you not think Government would be concerned about the opposition to this boatyard from the community? The lease clearly allows termination without compensation if the land is used for anything other than a marina.
Well just in case Government doesn’t realise this, we have been informing it regularly. We have written to the Prime Minister, Members of Cabinet, and our Member of Parliament (Andy Williams) countless times asking for termination of the lease or a meeting to explain further. We have not had a single substantive reply. We have had exchanges with the Attorney General’s Chambers and have been told we must take up the matter with Cabinet and with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands who represents government on the lease. We have done so. We have had no reply.
Government can’t feign ignorance. By not terminating the lease and by remaining silent, Government is telling us that it approves of a boatyard in this location. So now we know. We are all wasting our time trying to protect our natural environment because, despite grandiose statements on the international stage, our government doesn’t care what goes on at home. And the boatyard in pristine Mt Hartman Bay is just the latest. The widespread destruction of mangroves in St David’s and elsewhere – our fish nurseries – is reducing our young fish stocks. Prickly Bay is already dangerously at risk of contamination that could close the beaches. Government has been taken to court by the community over the three major CBI projects. The people of Woodford are not being treated fairly or openly about the Reyneau industrial plant.
This approach to development is undermining Grenada’s long-term future as a high value tourist destination. What’s going to happen when Grenada’s façade of “Pure Grenada” is exposed in the New York Times, the Toronto Star and the UK Guardian?
Coral Cove Group
contact@coralcovegrenada.org
On 28 March 2025, we invited comment on this piece from:
Hon Dickon Mitchell, PM, pmsec@pmo.gov.gd
Members of Cabinet, cabsec@gov.gd, registry@cabinetoffice.gov.gd
Ms. Neila K. Ettienne, pmpresssec@pmo.gov.gd
We have received no acknowledgement or reply.
As you can see from the photos above, mangroves have already been ripped out and work is being conducted without dust control measures and without curtains in the sea to prevent silt entering the Bay – both in violation of planning consent conditions.
Here is the letter we sent earlier to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Isaac Bhagwan
PS, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
ps@moa.gov.gd
10 March 2025
Dear Isaac Bhagwan
We wish to ensure that the MOA is fully aware of the situation regarding a proposed industrial boatyard in Mt Hartman Bay.
The land is leased by the developer from government. Administration of the landlord role is specified as being for the Permanent Secretary with responsibility for Agriculture and Lands.
The lease allows use of the land solely as a marina but the developer is building a boatyard thus violating the lease. The lease is clear that this allows termination without compensation. Moreover, it is clear that the lease was obtained by deception: the developer applied for planning consent as a boatyard (only) on 14 February 2022 before negotiating the lease for a marina (only) on 15 December 2022.
As you know, a marina is very different from a boatyard with the latter involving the run-off of aquatic poisons into the sea and serious disturbance of the seabed with dredging and piling for concrete slipways after removing the long-established mangroves lining the coast. This will have serious adverse impact on the marine environment as pointed out by the Chief Agricultural Officer (and others including the Ministry of Climate Resilience) at the time. The mangroves of Mt Hartman Bay are the nursery for young fish that will later form part of the livlihoods of fishers from Woburn and elsewhere. A summary of these comments is available on request.
In addition to its marine impact, a boatyard in this location will blight the whole of Mt Hartman for any future responsible use like education or tourism.
The L’Anse aux Epines community is thoroughly angry about the prospect of an industrial boatyard in this location. We have been in and out of court over it for two years and are about to start the next judicial review. All this could be avoided by GOG terminating the lease to the development company because the lease does not allow boatyard use.
A short explanation is available here:
https://coralcovegrenada.org/2025/01/29/why-is-government-wrecking-mt-hartman-bay/
Our objective is to have the Minister take to Cabinet a proposal to instruct the Attorney General to terminate the lease.
Coral Cove Group is an informal group of 330 subscribers comprising mostly residents of L’Anse aux Epines. It is concerned with ensuring that development protects Grenada’s natural environment.
I will be happy to attend a short meeting with you at your convenience to clarify any issues. We are also taking up this issue with PM Dickon Mitchell and our MP Andy Williams.
With best regards
Coral Cove Group
contact@coralcovegrenada.org
We have received no acknowledgement or reply.
Regards
Coral Cove Group – Working For Grenada
L’Anse aux Epines
contact@coralcovegrenada.org