Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

‘We don’t feel safe at some local beaches’.  WE residents back the need for beach policy in BVI

‘We don’t feel safe at some local beaches’. WE residents back the need for beach policy in BVI

Members of the West End community voiced their concerns on the current state of beaches in the British Virgin Islands and various beach activities that are harming the environment.

Those sentiments were expressed at a community meeting held at the Lenora Delville Primary School on October 7 to discuss the government’s proposed beach policy.

During the meeting, President of the North Side Beautification Committee Daphne Soutt fielded a number of questions and suggestions to Minister of Natural Resources, Vincent Wheatley.

Fear on beaches in BVI


She said that the sense of security on local beaches is now a thing of the past as beachgoers now have a major fear of being attacked by an animal or being asked to vacate a beach.

“Sometimes you’re in the beach and you see the dogs and you’re scared because you don’t know if the dog is going to come and attack you or come for your children,” Stoutt said.

Noting instances when persons were asked to leave certain beaches by property owners, Stoutt questioned whether persons can go to any local beach as they please.

In response, Minister Wheatley said no one can legally prevent anyone else from visiting any beach in the BVI.

“All beaches are public but we still have to be mindful that we are a popular tourist destination. The policy tries to address this and create that balance where investors feel comfortable having you on the beach and we feel comfortable using the beach.”

System to penalise vendors with improper waste management needed

Stoutt also addressed the need for something to be done about the amount of garbage which is seen on some beaches.

She believes a system should be put in place for vendors who fail to properly dispose of their waste.

“When people apply for a permit to go on the beach, they should leave a deposit and somebody needs to go and inspect that beach when they’re finished. If the beach is in the condition that you get it, you would get your deposit back,” Stoutt said.

Limited space to swim on some beaches


The West End resident raised a concern about the availability of space for persons to swim at some beaches. She said space has become an issue because of watercraft that dock too close to the shorelines.

“If you go to Jost Van Dyke on a Sunday you can scarcely get into the sea because of the boats. There should be a line where the boats have to stay beyond. It’s too much. It is really too much,” she said.

Vending permits on beaches to be assessed


She also questioned the Deputy Premier on how many permits are being issued for vending on the beach at Smuggler’s Cove in West End.

She said: “We were at Smuggler’s Cove planting one day and the next day there was a beach bar put up. They broke and damaged all the trees we put in and they leave the garbage on the beach.”

Meanwhile, another West End resident Dyllan Penn agreed with the suggestion by the minister to get all the beaches properly organised and defined. He said once each beach is properly defined, it will effectively allow the Town & Country Planning Department to be better able to determine the type of permits which are issued to a vendor for a particular beach.

Need for signage

Penn also stated the need for proper signage on beaches in the BVI and further noted the need for proper enforcement of the beach policy so persons can take them seriously.

Following the meeting, Minister Wheatley said once all the information from public consultations is collated and assessed, a revised policy will be brought back to the public within the next two months.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×