Shift Water Park

THE placement of a new attraction dubbed the “Caribbean’s largest water park” at Brandon’s Beach has some bathers a bit unsettled.

However, they are not in any way calling for its removal, but simply asking that the management of Rascal’s shift the structure.

This was the collective agreement coming from scores of beachgoers yesterday morning, some opting not to go for their regular swim because the water park has taken over the space in which they felt most comfortable.

“We don’t want the structure moved out of the water. We understand that it is a tourism project, but it has been placed where we have been bathing for many years. We just need it to be shifted to the right in front of Rascal’s. We are not against it coming, but it’s the location which is our concern… It could stay there for 100 years, just shift it from our space,” pleaded Pearce Adamson, who also revealed that it has been close to 50 years he frequented the popular beach spot.

Christopher Williams expressed to the media that the water park is a good idea that has been implemented incorrectly.

“There is a feature of Brandon’s Beach that is special to us – the way how the beach has developed. There is an area we call the ‘clear patch’ or the ‘clear hole’ that is like prime beach where because of the conditions most people gravitate towards there; people swim in that particular area and a lot of activities go on there,” he explained.

“We have not indicated that we want this water park to move. We all recognise progress and that times change and we all respect that this is a good idea, but we also understand that it has been implemented wrong. There are a lot of questions; a lot of concerns that we have as residents, as people who have been here first.”

Former government senator, Maxine McClean, a bather at the location for the past 15 years, said that there was no warning that such an attraction was being considered at the beach. So concerned, she disclosed that she has even written to Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey, but received no response as yet.

“This issue became apparent from Tuesday, November 24, when they were putting some kind of rock structure out there and I asked persons there what was happening, and I was told that they were installing a water park. By the next morning, there were structures in the water and what emerged according to their website is supposed to be the ‘Caribbean’s largest water park’ and they are talking about development of other space at the beach.”

She is therefore querying the process undertaken to approve the attraction, as well as other future development proposed by the same business.

“We need as citizens of Barbados, as users of this beach, for someone to extend us the courtesy of saying this is a project, these are the permissions that have been granted,” she insisted.

“I want to hear whether it is the National Conservation Commission, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Town and Country Planning, the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Tourism or whoever. Let somebody tell us what has been approved for here and what are the impli-cations for us as Barbadians – people from this neighbourhood who have utilised this beach for a long time,” she added.

Former member of parliament, James Paul, said that in other countries, there are some spaces that cannot be developed in such a way as it is a public beach.

“I really want to appeal to Barbadians; this has nothing to do with politics and I want to make that very clear. Because if the previous government approved this in any way, shame on them. And certainly, whoever has facilitated this process, it is also shame on them because you are preventing people from enjoying the beach in which they are historically accustomed to, in a manner in which they feel comfortable. And you cannot take away those public rights from people; it is not right,” he stressed.

“Also, Brandon’s is a turtle nesting zone. The question needs to be asked – has the Coastal Zone Management people come in and look at the impact of the placement of things such as these on the beach?... You can see persons gathered on Brandon’s looking at a turtle that is actually nesting. To what extent when you incur certain developments would it prevent things like that from happening? And the so-called environmentalists we have in this country need to speak to things like this – don’t just stay silent.” (TL)