An Important Update to Everyone Who Signed Our Jolly Harbour Beach Access Petition
8 November 2026
Dear Friends and Supporters,
First, a word about the image accompanying this update, because it illustrates exactly what our petition is about.
The image shows two areas shaded in purple. The smaller area, outside the Jolly Harbour development, is the parking lot belonging to the all-inclusive Jolly Beach Resort.
The much larger purple area is the original Jolly Harbour South Beach public parking lot, which was included in the development's plans before construction of Jolly Harbour even began.
This was not an informal parking area that appeared over time. It was deliberately incorporated into the original design of Jolly Harbour and, from the opening of the development, remained available to both the general public and Jolly Harbour residents wishing to enjoy South Beach.
For decades, this parking area, with space for approximately 350 vehicles, provided convenient access to one of Antigua's widest and most beautiful beaches.
That changed when the parking area was taken over for incorporation into the proposed Nikki Beach luxury resort development, without any equivalent replacement public parking being provided.
The result is that the public has lost the very parking facilities that were part of the original development plan and that made this extraordinary beach accessible to everyone.
This is at the heart of our petition. We are not asking for a new privilege. We are asking for the restoration of public access and parking that existed for decades and was part of Jolly Harbour's original design.
Our Petition Remains Open — and the Prime Minister Has Agreed to Meet
First, I want to sincerely thank every one of you who has signed and shared our petition calling for the restoration of unfettered public access to Jolly Harbour South Beach.
With nearly 4,000 signatures, we have demonstrated that this is an issue of genuine public concern, extending well beyond Jolly Harbour itself.
I have downloaded approximately 180 pages of signatures and prepared a video presentation of the petition, which has been published on YouTube and has been seen by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
I had initially thought that downloading the signatures would close the petition. It turns out that the petition remains open, and you can still sign and share it. This is welcome news because our work is not finished.
In fact, there has been an important development: the Prime Minister has publicly agreed to meet with me to discuss the petition after returning from his latest overseas engagement, within the next two weeks.
I welcome that commitment and look forward to a constructive discussion about restoring meaningful public access and parking at South Beach.
However, quite a lot has happened over the past several days, and I believe everyone who supported this petition deserves to know about it.
What Happened at South Beach on Wednesday?
On Wednesday, November 4, approximately 100 people gathered peacefully on Jolly Harbour South Beach, at the very location where a traditional public access route runs alongside the wall of the Prime Minister's beachfront house.
This access route, less than a metre wide, has historically been used by members of the public to reach South Beach. Yet, on the very morning of our gathering, CDAL, the company associated with the original Jolly Harbour development and its management, installed signs describing this and other access points as being for Jolly Harbour residents only.
The timing was remarkable.
We deliberately gathered at the beach end of this narrow passage, on Crown Land, because it illustrates precisely what our petition is about: a public beach that remains legally accessible in principle, while the practical means of reaching it are being restricted.
During our gathering, private security personnel reportedly attempted to prevent members of the public, including local children trying to reach a parent, from using the access route.
We also witnessed the arrival of two trucks carrying armed police officers, whom we understood to be from Special Branch. Jolly Harbour management appeared to have substantially increased its private security presence that afternoon.
For a peaceful gathering of families, concerned residents and environmental advocates, this was an extraordinary security presence.
There was no violence or disorder. People came to learn, to ask questions and to stand together in support of public access.
I gave those present a brief history of Jolly Harbour, explaining how, shortly after independence, the government of Sir Vere Cornwall Bird sold approximately 950 acres to a Swiss developer for a nominal sum.
Importantly, the original development was designed with a substantial setback from the shoreline, leaving an exceptionally wide beach for the enjoyment of the people of Antigua and Barbuda and our visitors.
Standing on that beach on Wednesday, many people were astonished by just how wide and beautiful it is.
It was a powerful reminder of what thoughtful planning can achieve, and what we risk losing when public interests are gradually subordinated to private development.
The Prime Minister's Response
The following day, the Daily Observer published an article featuring a photograph of me at the gathering and reporting that I intended to deliver the nearly 4,000-signature petition to the Prime Minister.
Under the newspaper's Facebook post, the Prime Minister made a comment about eagerly awaiting a petition so that he could burn it contemptuously.
Given the photograph, headline and subject of the article, it was entirely understandable that many readers interpreted his remarks as referring to our Jolly Harbour petition.
The reaction was immediate. Many people expressed their disappointment and outrage that a petition representing thousands of citizens could apparently be treated with such contempt.
Journalist and commentator Kieron Murdoch also publicly criticised the remarks.
The Prime Minister subsequently clarified that he was referring not to the Jolly Harbour petition but to a supposed petition concerning another location, which he calls Peace Beach, at Barnacle Point.
To my knowledge, there is no such petition associated with our recent environmental gathering at Barnacle Point.
I cannot speak to the Prime Minister's intentions, but I can say that the clarification came after considerable public criticism, and the original context of his remarks understandably caused concern.
Importantly, the Prime Minister also stated publicly that he supports greater beach access and has no objection to the general petition calling for it.
I welcomed that statement and suggested that we meet to discuss the practical solutions needed at Jolly Harbour.
He publicly agreed to meet following his return from overseas.
That is a positive development, and I intend to approach the meeting constructively.
Two Different Environmental Issues
Some of the recent public discussion has unfortunately confused two separate environmental concerns.
The first involves Barnacle Point and the area now being called Peace Beach, where dredged material from works associated with an LNG project was deposited along a shoreline adjoining property belonging to the Prime Minister's family.
Our concerns there involve the legality of dredging within a protected marine area, the disposal of dredged material over seagrass habitat, the absence of a publicly available environmental impact assessment, and the use of public resources in works that may have benefited adjoining private property.
These concerns are not simply speculative. In discussions with relevant government officials, we were informed that the Development Control Authority had not granted permission for the dredging, that Fisheries officials considered the activity contrary to marine protection laws, and that the Environment Division had not received the required environmental impact assessment.
The Prime Minister has since publicly maintained that the necessary approvals were obtained.
These conflicting positions make it all the more important that the relevant permits, environmental assessments and authorisations be made available for public scrutiny.
The second issue, and the specific subject of this petition, is Jolly Harbour South Beach.
As the accompanying image illustrates, the original development provided a substantial public parking area that served South Beach for decades. That area has now been incorporated into plans for the luxury Nikki Beach development, with no equivalent replacement public parking provided.
At the same time, practical access routes have become increasingly restricted, with some now being described as available only to Jolly Harbour residents.
The result is that a beach which was deliberately preserved as an exceptional public recreational asset has become increasingly difficult for ordinary people to reach.
These are two distinct issues, involving different locations and different questions of public accountability.
Both deserve serious consideration, but the purpose of this petition remains very clear: restoring practical, safe and unfettered public access to Jolly Harbour South Beach, including adequate public parking.
This Is Not About Race or Party Politics
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has also chosen to introduce race and personal accusations into the discussion.
In his recent radio remarks, he referred to me as an "old miserable white man" and accused me of applying racial double standards by criticising his family's development activities while supposedly ignoring developments undertaken by white investors.
I reject that characterisation entirely.
I am not affiliated with any political party, and neither this petition nor our environmental advocacy is driven by party politics.
For decades, I have publicly challenged environmentally damaging activities and questionable development decisions in Antigua and Barbuda, regardless of the race, nationality, wealth or political affiliation of those involved.
Indeed, the very petition before us concerns a development associated with wealthy international investors. The suggestion that I somehow reserve my criticism for developments associated with Black Antiguans is contradicted by the subject of this campaign itself.
Our natural resources do not belong to one race, one political party, one developer or one administration.
They are part of the common inheritance AND COMMON WEALTH of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.
I find it unfortunate that a discussion about public beach access has been diverted into personal and racial accusations. These distractions do nothing to address the concerns of the thousands of people who signed this petition.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The encouraging news is that we now have a public commitment from the Prime Minister to meet and discuss the Jolly Harbour petition.
I hope that meeting will focus on practical solutions, including:
- Restoring convenient and unrestricted public access to South Beach.
- Establishing adequate, permanent public parking that cannot simply be removed by future development decisions.
- Clarifying the legal status of existing access routes and the authority under which restrictions have been introduced.
- Ensuring meaningful public consultation before further changes are made.
- Protecting public access to beaches elsewhere in Antigua and Barbuda before similar situations develop.
These are reasonable requests. They do not prevent investment or development. They simply recognise that successful development in a small island state must respect the rights and interests of the wider community.
And this is about far more than one beach.
As coastal land becomes increasingly valuable and large developments continue to expand, we must ask whether future generations of Antiguans and Barbudans will enjoy the same access to their coastline that previous generations took for granted.
A beach may be legally public, but if people cannot reasonably reach it, that public right becomes increasingly meaningless.
Thank You, and Please Keep Sharing
To everyone who has signed, shared, commented, attended our gatherings or helped bring attention to this issue: thank you.
Your participation has helped move this discussion from social media into the national press and now, hopefully, to a direct meeting with the Prime Minister.
The petition remains open. Please continue to share it.
I will keep you informed as the proposed meeting approaches and will provide an update afterward on what was discussed, what commitments were made, and what practical steps, if any, will follow.
In the meantime, please continue to follow the local press, social media and the Antigua Conservation Society for further developments.
This is not a campaign against development. It is a campaign for development that respects the people, our environment and the long-term interests of Antigua and Barbuda.
Thank you again for standing up for something that should matter to all of us.
Our beaches are part of our national inheritance. Access to them should not depend on wealth, privilege or where someone happens to live.
With appreciation and determination,
Eli Fuller
Antigua Conservation Society
Jolly Harbour Beach Access Campaign