Title: Locals Resist Foreign Takeover of Barbuda’s Coastal Lands

For over two decades, the Pink Sands Beach Bar served as a social hub on the small Caribbean island of Barbuda, welcoming both residents and visitors. Former owner Miranda Beazer recalls the establishment as a "very warm place" where community members would gather to play dominoes or unwind after Sunday church services. Situated on distinctive rose-colored sand, the bar was integral to local life until Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017. The storm forced the evacuation of all approximately 2,000 Barbudans to the neighboring island of Antigua, resulting in the destruction of Beazer’s home and business.

"It was devastating. I cried for two weeks," Beazer said, noting that no one escaped the hurricane’s impact unscathed. Although she refused substantial financial offers from foreign investors to purchase her property, stating, "It's not the money that I'm after... I actually want to retain my land," the situation escalated. Beazer alleges that bulldozers hired by foreign developers subsequently demolished the remnants of her bar. She is now engaged in a legal battle to reclaim access to the property, a process complicated by the region's unique legal framework.

Under the laws of Antigua and Barbuda, land ownership in Barbuda is communal rather than private. Established after the abolition of slavery in 1834 and codified by the Barbuda Land Act of 2007, the system grants citizens the right to occupy land via lease but reserves collective ownership for the population. This structure ensures that locals hold the final authority and consultation rights regarding significant development projects. Beazer claims to hold a lease for 30 acres of coastline but currently has access to only eight acres.

The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), which is assisting Beazer, asserts that the remaining land is being illegally occupied by foreign entities Murbee Resorts and Peace Love and Happiness (PLH). Murbee has denied these claims, stating in a release that it operates as a legal leaseholder and has not constructed anything without proper authority. Similarly, PLH maintains that it has never occupied the land and has adhered strictly to its lease agreements, which were signed in February 2017. Despite these denials, Beazer and other campaigners remain determined. "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 said.

Beazer’s property represents the final accessible stretch of Barbuda’s southern coast for locals. However, it faces the same threat seen across the Caribbean: wealthy developers seeking to convert public beaches into exclusive tourist enclaves, often bypassing local property protections. Just a few miles away, Oscar winner Robert De Niro and Australian billionaire James Packer are developing The Beach Club Barbuda through their firm, Paradise Found. This 400-acre resort, slated for completion later this year, will feature the Nobu Beach Inn, comprising 17 luxury villas, alongside 25 beachfront residences.

Local residents report being unable to visit or even view the beach adjacent to the new development due to a recently constructed bypass road that isolates the complex. Plots at The Beach Club are priced starting at $7 million (£5.2 million). While the resort’s website markets the project as a "rare Island community on one of the Caribbean's last untouched shores," John Mussington, chairperson of the Barbuda Council, contends that such a "community" exists only by violating the 2007 Land Act. To allow co

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