Last month BU highlighted the story of the action which the Spanish government is taking to protect its coastline, The Costa Del Sol. It was reported that the Spanish government has taken the surprising decision to confiscate and demolish luxury homes built within 550 yards of the beach. Unlike Barbados where many of the properties built on our coastline have been approved by the Town Planning department, the properties in Spain were adjudged to have been constructed illegally.
What Barbadians should observe by the action of the Spanish government is the fearless decision making they are prepared to take to protect their coastline. There is a growing number of concerned Barbadians who have become alarmed at the disappearance of many of the windows to the sea to our West coast, and to a lesser extent the South coast of Barbados. Thank God our East Coast appears up to now to have escaped the destruction! The lack of will shown by the last government to protect the ‘character’ of our little, tropical, exotic island paradise must be viewed as a violation of the trust of Barbadians,both current and future.
The Times Online is reporting that there is a slow down in the demand for luxury properties on Spain along the Costa Del Sol region, despite falling property prices. The main reason cited is the exchange rate factor. Of interest to Barbadians is the forecast by analysts that the British investors, in light of the changing market will turn to the Caribbean, specifically Barbados to redirect their real estate investments.
People are being more cautious about the lesser-known smaller islands and going back to Barbados, where there’s an established resale market with reasonably balanced supply and demand,” says Julian Cunningham, a senior negotiator in Knight Frank’s international department.
Source: Times online
What does all of this tell us? The new Democratic Labour Party (DLP) party will have to demonstrate in quick time their resolve to tackle the the issue of a land use policy in Barbados. This is critical as far as the development of our coastline which is in heavy demand from foreign investors.
Here is a relevant exerpt from the DLP Manifesto:
A crude economism reflected in the dictum that“land must fetch its highest economic value” is serving to thoughtlessly transfer large tracts of land in Barbados into hotel/condominium development projected on the South and West coasts. The developments proposed for Bathsheba, and Brown’s Beach, the recently announced upscale condominium and private villa development in St Philip, and presumably others not yet unveiled, show that under Prime Minister Arthur, nothing is safe from this scourge. Cove Bay, Archers Bay, River Bay, Bath – all spots that Barbadians have traditionally used as escapes from the rigours of life – will be put on the “auction block” to be sold to the highest bidder. The BLP argument that land sales to foreigners generates foreign exchange makes no sense if that income is used to finance unprofitable projects. These policies are putting considerable pressure on agriculture and the natural environment.
Barbadians are not known to be activists and maybe this can explain why a drive along the West coast of Barbados has become the most depressing experience for many. Several horses have escaped from the barn already, however there is still time to STOP a few that remain.
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