Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Not the ministry! Establish central entity to manage land distribution

Not the ministry! Establish central entity to manage land distribution

A recent report submitted to the Governor’s Office has recommended that the Ministry of Natural Resources no longer receive applications for Crown land and for that responsibility to be transferred to an independent authority.
This recommendation was made in a document titled Virgin Islands Crown Lands Distribution Policy Review Report that was drafted in January 2023.

Under the constitution, the Minister of Natural Resources has responsibility for administering Crown lands. But, the review found that, unlike the several estate committees that exist to assist with land applications, “there is no written policy that the minister follows when awarding land.

For that reason, the report which was drafted by David Abednego, recommended that there be one central entity that is responsible for receiving and vetting applications for the use of Crown Land.

“It is recommended that a National Estate Committee be established which may be responsible for receiving and vetting applications for the use of Crown lands. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour will no longer directly receive applications for the use of residential land and commercial lease arrangements. The proposed Committee, with the exception of the Anegada Advisory Lands Committee, will take the place of the various individual land committees [that currently exist].

The proposed Committee will interact directly with another proposed body — the Crown Land Authority — to support the land disposal decision-making process, the report stated.

It further explained that the proposed Crown Land Authority would monitor, control and manage the disposal process of Crown land.

“This new body would takeover the function and duties of Wickham’s Cay Development Authority and be empowered with a wider mandate. It is important to state that the Authority would not have ownership of Crown land but instead, it would have the responsibility for monitoring, controlling and managing,” the report explained.

The reported added that, with a view to ensure the protection of Crown land, the Crown Land Authority should be empowered with enforcement powers and these powers should be exercised by designated officers of the Authority.

The report said the Authority would, therefore, be required to have established systems such as a strict schedule for the monitoring of compliance as it relates to payments, usage, and development of Crown land within a prescribed timeline.

Other enforcement systems should include policies preventing resale (flipping) etc., with clear penalties for lack of compliance; forfeiture procedures where an applicant fails to develop within an allotted period; implementation of a buy-back clause where the awardee is seeking to sell his/her awarded land; and instituting a penalty of one to 2.5 percent if persons sell within a specified time frame after being awarded.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
×