That is the road through the Malliouhana Hotel property, by the tamarind tree at the east end of the beach. If it is filled with cars, you could try parking on the narrow main road and walking through it to the beach. In effect, the entire western end of the beach is now inaccessible to the public.
There used to be another access road for the public. It will be familiar to all who know the old Coccolloba Hotel as the road to the dolphin prison. It ran over what is now the Viceroy project, to the east of the main entrance. It used to give public access to the beach at Meads Bay until a couple of weeks ago.
You can drive down it now part of the way. It ends now at a villa being built across what used to be the beach access.
A security guard in a little hut blocked my way to the villa under construction. “What happened to the road that led to the beach?” I asked her. “It private now”, she replied.
Whatever happened to the promise made in the MOU that they would provide public access to both
All the other accesses to the beach have been blocked off to the public.
I suppose we can always try parking in one of the hotel or restaurant car parks and pushing our way through to the beach. Is that what the right of public enjoyment of the beaches of
I feel sorry for the children. They will never enjoy the rights we once did.
About 20 years ago there was some sort of controversy regarding illegal sand mining of the dunes on some vacant land at Meads Bay. Government (it must have been Sir Emile, back then) that in order to settle the matter, Government was acquiring the land.
ReplyDeleteDid that ever happen? Is the land still vacant? Could it be used for public access and parking?
Seems as if you are saying that public access means all access.It is not a fair statement to say that there is no public access or that it is limited.I am sure we do not expect to have free run of someone else's private property just to get to the beach.Instead,what the GAO should have done was to include public parking along with the designated public access.This would have solved this problem.
ReplyDeleteIf the people of Anguilla want public beaches with access they need to vote to take the land needed. When it came to the airport the government toke the land. Personally I would like to see the government emanate domain large sections of popular beaches with parking. Otherwise what is happening will happen.
ReplyDeleteThere is no LEGAL public access except at the far east end. The above poster claims public access isn't limited. Hello? This is like Bush solving the Iraq war problem by announcing that America won.
ReplyDeletein fact: there is one more public access>
ReplyDeletebehind sur la plage villas is a dirt road and sand path leading the western end of Meads Bay: seek and ye shall find.
Accessing via Cocoloba and the depressing dolphins was never a great way to access Mead's. I don't know about your children, but mine access the eastern end via La Sirena/Sur La Plage. They also get to it via Frangipani, Carimar, etc.
ReplyDeleteThey park where others park, either in the parking lots or on the road by Carimar and cut through to the beach. No one has ever stopped them -- they have never had to "push their way through to the beach." And it's quite convenient. And now that Straw Hat is at Frangipani, it's a favorite spot for us to have lunch and an afternoon on Mead's.
Viceroy should be forced to provide public access the way Cap Juluca does, I agree, but my children are doing just fine, thank you.
Donchecker
The subject here is legal public access, not "no one has never stopped them." Someone could stop them tomorrow, we don't know.
ReplyDeleteAnd just because we see a road or a path doesn't mean we have the right to use it, or that it will still be available for our use tomorrow.
He's just saying that nothing much has really changed. Anguilla is still a relaxed place where you can access Mead's Bay how you like. What about Viceroy? Go to the Land Survey and find out if there is a public access to Mead's there, and if there is, assert your right to it in court if you care that much.
ReplyDelete