Letter of the Day | Is the outcome already decided?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

On Saturday, February 21, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in West End, Negril for the proposed Negril Paradise Integrated Resort and Marina – which was written about Jamaica Observer on February 23, although the article has since been taken offline.

The site for this development is located at Wedderburn Estate and Retreat Estate in Negril, Westmoreland. The scale of what was presented is extraordinary: a 2.4 million square foot cruise terminal with 80 retail shops, reportedly accommodating up to 24,000 persons per day; a private 100-yacht berth marina; 60 ultra-luxury suites; a development powered by 100 per cent renewable energy through solar and hydrogen microgrids; a 6,000 square foot visitor hub; 120 acres of parkland; and even a proposed 1,100-bed hospital offering free healthcare.

The Observer article noted that ground was physically broken even though the developer acknowledged the project is still going through the approval process and hopes to secure the green light by year-end. According to published coverage and invitations, the event featured a keynote address by Pearnel Charles Jr., minister of labour and social security.

To date, there is no publicly available record of a current Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for this project, no evidence that updated planning permission has been granted, and no confirmation that environmental permits have been issued. When the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) sought clarification from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) on February 9, we were told only that an EIA conducted in 2007 for a development on the site exists, that new approvals would be required, and that submissions are still awaited. In other words, the application process has just begun.

Nearly 20 years after the initial assessment of what appears to have been a similar proposal, environmental baselines in Negril have shifted dramatically. Climate change and increasing storm impacts, most recently exemplified by Hurricane Melissa, have made our coastlines more fragile and vulnerable than ever. An EIA from 2007 cannot reasonably stand in for a contemporary assessment of impacts on ecosystems, sea level risk, coastal erosion, freshwater resources, wetlands, and communities.

Moreover, Negril’s development regulations, including strict height limits, setback requirements, coastal and wetland protections, and public participation provisions, are not arbitrary boxes to be ticked. They are essential safeguards, designed to protect both the environment and the people who depend on it.

Surely the first question a minister of government should ask when invited to the groundbreaking of a massive coastal development is: where are we in the permitting process?

The optics of a senior government official appearing to endorse a massive project’s commencement at a groundbreaking ceremony before environmental assessments, planning approvals, or permits are secured is troubling, and undermines public trust in Jamaica’s environmental governance.

We look forward to formal clarification from the environmental regulators as to the status of this project.

THE JAMAICA

ENVIRONMENT

TRUST