Resisting the Encroachment of Foreign Capital on Caribbean Coastlines

For over two decades, the Pink Sands Beach Bar served as a vital social hub on the small Caribbean island of Barbuda. Former owner Miranda Beazer recalls the establishment as a welcoming sanctuary where residents gathered to play dominoes or unwind after Sunday church services. Situated on sand that gave the venue its name, the bar was deeply embedded in the local fabric until Hurricane Irma struck in 2017. The storm forced the evacuation of the island’s approximately 2,000 residents to the neighboring island of Antigua. The devastation was total; both Miranda’s home and the bar were destroyed.

"It was devastating. There's nobody that was unscathed," Beazer recalls, noting that she grieved for two weeks. Before she could reconstruct her livelihood, her husband passed away. Although foreign investors subsequently approached her with substantial offers for her property, she declined them all. "I’m not after the money," Beazer explains. "I actually want to retain my land."

However, construction machinery soon arrived. Beazer alleges that foreign developers demolished the remnants of her bar. Since then, she has engaged in legal proceedings to reclaim what she considers her property, a struggle complicated by the unique legal framework of Antigua and Barbuda. Under Barbudan law, land ownership is communal rather than private. While citizens can apply for leases to occupy specific plots, the land itself is collectively owned. This system, rooted in the post-slavery era of 1834, grants citizens the right to be consulted and to hold final authority over significant developments. This communal ownership structure was formally recognized by the national government in 2007 with the passage of the Barbuda Land Act.

Beazer holds a lease for 30 acres of coastline but currently accesses only eight acres. The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), which is backing her legal case, asserts that the remaining land is being unlawfully occupied by foreign developers Murbee Resorts and Peace Love and Happiness (PLH). Murbee has denied these allegations in a statement, claiming it is a lawful leaseholder and has not constructed anything beyond its authorized limits. Similarly, PLH stated that it has strictly adhered to all agreements since leasing land in Barbuda in February 2017 and has never occupied the disputed area. Despite these denials, Beazer remains steadfast. "If you were to ever come here and experience it yourself, you would really understand why we're so committed to this little piece of rock that we have," she says.

Her property represents the final accessible segment of Barbuda’s southern shoreline for locals. Yet, like many beaches across the Caribbean where local property rights are weak, it faces pressure from wealthy developers aiming to create exclusive tourist enclaves. Just miles away, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro and Australian billionaire James Packer are developing The Beach Club Barbuda under their company, Paradise Found. The 400-acre project, slated for completion later this year, features Nobu Beach Inn, a luxury hotel comprising 17 villas, along with 25 beachfront residences.

Locals report that they are now barred from viewing or accessing the beach adjacent to the resort, which has been isolated by a newly constructed bypass road. Property prices at the site reportedly start at $7 million (£5.2 million). While the resort’s website promotes the development as a "rare Island community on one of the Caribbean's last untouched shores," John Mussington, chairperson of the Barbuda Council, contends that this so-called community was established by violating the 2007 Land Act.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-20 23:19:14 UTC