Investment Minister Ernest Hilaire has condemned the removal of a safety fence erected at a construction site on Reduit Beach, describing the action as irresponsible and stressing that the barrier had been installed to protect the public.
The issue arose after Marcellus ‘Bax’ Stiede, an independent candidate who contested the Castries North seat in the last general elections, posted videos on Facebook challenging the presence of the fence on the southern end of the beach.
In a video shared on March 12, Stiede argued that the installation restricted public access and urged authorities to remove it.
“Behind me there is a fence,” Stiede said while standing on the beach in Rodney Bay. “I just want to remind Invest Saint Lucia, the developer, the prime minister, the legal representative for that company and Ernest Hilaire that citizens are allowed 180 meters from the watermark.”
“You cannot put a fence on the beach. You cannot block citizens from access to the beach,” he continued. “This fence needs to come down immediately.”
The following day, Stiede posted another video in which he displayed a wrench and showed the same section of beach with the barrier removed.
“As promised, I removed up to the waterline,” he said in the clip. “This morning the fence is down. People can walk through. Construction area can still continue.”
However, speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Hilaire criticized the action and explained that the area had been temporarily secured because it forms part of an active construction zone linked to the nearby A’ila Resorts development.
“I think the first thing I want to do is actually apologize to the public and to the developer for what has happened,” Hilaire said. “I think the public deserves an apology and I think the developer also deserves an apology.”
According to the minister, government agencies failed to properly inform the public about the temporary closure of a section of the beach.
“The simple truth is that our agencies failed on this occasion to really perform some of their basic functions,” he stated.
Hilaire explained that the developer had been asked by Invest Saint Lucia to undertake improvements to the beach area alongside the resort project.
“The developer was asked to develop a beach park for the public,” he said, noting that the area previously lacked basic amenities. “There were no toilets, no showers, no lifeguard and no proper vending facilities.”
He said the developer agreed to finance the project, which included the construction of a beach park, improvements to the shoreline and additional public amenities.
“The developer agreed at the developer’s cost to build a beach park as well as do beach improvement works,” Hilaire explained.
The beach park component has already been completed and handed over to the government.
“The beach park has been completed and handed over to us, so we are now customising it for the purposes of bringing in vendors and the public to service it,” he said. “A children’s park was also added.”
According to Hilaire, the final stage of the project involves beach improvement work that requires heavy equipment and other materials to be used on the shoreline.
“To undertake the beach improvement works, there will be heavy equipment, there will be sand, and there will be a lot going on,” he said. “The developer has to protect the public. You do not want anybody going there to get injured.”
As a result, the site was temporarily fenced to prevent members of the public from entering the construction area.
“The fence had to be erected so people do not go onto that site and get affected,” Hilaire said, adding that the closure was expected to last about two weeks while the work is completed.
The minister also revealed that he personally contacted Stiede after learning of the concerns raised in the initial video.
“I called him and explained what was happening,” Hilaire said. “I told him it was for two weeks to facilitate beach improvement works and for the safety of the public.”
He said that despite the explanation, Stiede proceeded to remove the barrier.
“I said, boss, do not take down the fence. It is there for two weeks to protect the public,” Hilaire recounted. “But he still decides and puts up another reel showing that he used a wire cutter to cut the fence and removed it.”
Hilaire said the incident led to criticism of the developer online, which he described as unfair given that the company was funding the improvements.
“The public says the nastiest things about the developer and accuses the developer of all sorts of misdeeds, which is not fair,” he said. “The developer is at their expense improving the beach and built a beach park for our purposes after we made the request.”
The minister stressed that temporary restrictions around construction areas are standard practice and necessary to ensure safety.
“There are instances where construction works will take place and you have to put in the precautionary and necessary requirements for health and safety,” Hilaire said. “You are supposed to do that. That is a requirement.”