Clash Over Coastal Sovereignty: Locals Resist Foreign Acquisition of Barbuda’s Shores

For two decades, the Pink Sands Beach Bar served as a cultural hub in Barbuda, a small Caribbean island, welcoming both residents and visitors. Miranda Beazer, the establishment’s former proprietor, recalls it as a welcoming sanctuary where community members gathered to play dominoes or unwind after Sunday church services. Named for the distinctive rose-hued sand beneath it, the bar was integral to local life until Hurricane Irma struck in 2017. The storm forced the evacuation of approximately 2,000 Barbudans to the neighboring island of Antigua. In the aftermath, both Beazer’s bar and her home were reduced to rubble. "It was devastating. No one escaped unscathed," Beazer recalls. "I cried for two weeks."

Following the destruction, Beazer’s husband passed away. Despite receiving substantial financial offers from foreign investors for her property, she declined every proposal. "My goal isn't financial gain," Beazer states. "I wish to keep my land." However, she alleges that bulldozers subsequently arrived and demolished the remnants of the bar. Beazer has since initiated legal proceedings to reclaim what she contends is her property, though the case is complicated by the unique tenure laws of Antigua and Barbuda.

In Barbuda, land is held collectively rather than privately. While citizens can apply for leases to occupy specific plots, ultimate ownership rests with the community. This system, rooted in the post-slavery era of 1834, grants citizens collective rights to consultation and veto power over significant developments. The Barbuda Land Act of 2007 formally codified this framework. Beazer holds a lease for 30 acres of coastal land but asserts she is currently restricted to only eight acres.

The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), which is providing legal support, accuses foreign entities Murbee Resorts and Peace Love and Happiness (PLH) of illegally occupying the remaining land. Murbee Resorts maintains in a statement that it holds a valid lease and has conducted no construction without legal authority. Conversely, PLH claims it has never occupied the land in question and has adhered strictly to its lease agreements, which were signed in February 2017. Despite these denials, Beazer, alongside other Barbudan activists, remains steadfast in her pursuit of access. "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.

Beazer’s property represents the final accessible stretch of Barbuda’s southern coast. However, it faces the same pressures seen across the Caribbean, where locals often lack legal protections against wealthy developers seeking to transform beaches into exclusive tourist enclaves. Just miles from Beazer’s plot, actor Robert De Niro and Australian billionaire James Packer are developing The Beach Club Barbuda through their company, Paradise Found. The 400-acre project, slated for completion later this year, features Nobu Beach Inn, a luxury hotel comprising 17 villas, and 25 beachfront residences.

Local residents report being barred from visiting or even viewing the beach associated with the resort, following the construction of a bypass road designed to isolate the complex. Property prices at the site reportedly begin at $7 million (£5.2m). The development’s website markets it as a "rare Island community on one of the Caribbean's last untouched shores." However, John Mussington, chairperson of the Barbuda Council, contends that this "community" was established in violation of the 2007 Land Act, arguing that the developers bypassed the required communal consent processes.

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