| More than 250 lots carved in Provo parks |
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| Thursday, 08 July 2010 10:22 | |||
 While 32 landowners want the interim government to let them build in Chalk Sound National Park where construction is prohibited, another 100 lots are also subdivided there, according to Turks and Caicos Islands government maps. And in adjacent Pigeon Pond and Frenchman’s Creek Nature Reserve — the country’s second most environmentally important area — more than 100 lots have been similarly subdivided for development. Of those 100-plus lots, 27 lots covering 171 acres have been sold, leased or given along Proggin Bay, Silly Creek and north of Wiley Point in the most environmentally important area on Provo, according to the recently released Crown Land Allocation Register. The National Parks Ordinance of 1992 prohibits residential and commercial construction in the protected areas which were set aside for public access and to protect the environment. The interim government says it will not allow any illegal construction on those properties. The Chalk Sound property owners say they didn’t know the property they obtained was inside the park. Nearly all of the land in the park and nature reserve was acquired by individuals and companies after government-paid Nautilus Consultants Ltd. told the government in September 2006 that property in the country’s Protected Area System (PAS) should not be developed except as parks and areas for public enjoyment. As for Chalk Sound, Nautilus said any further residential development in the park “is likely to significantly alter the ecology of this site, particularly given the limited nature of water exchange between it and the open sea.” The consultants said money that the government and developers would make on resort and residential development in protected areas would be a limited one-time benefit, but that a fully established PAS would provide sustainable income and enjoyment for locals and tourists while protecting the environment. “Failure to protect the quality of the environment, and to properly conserve those features of the environment that have special value, will result in a devaluation of the value of these assets which will appear first in a slow down in economic growth, and secondly as a reduction in the well-being of residents and visitors, and a reduction in the quality of life of the resident population,” Nautilus said. At the eastern end of Proggin Bay, a company call Holiday Resort Dev. Ltd. was granted 50 acres, the largest single holding in the reserve, the land register indicates. Beachfront lots along Proggin Bay vary in size from 2 to 5 acres, including 3 acres leased by Logwood Hotel Development Co. Ltd. Along the shore between Amanyara and Wiley Point in the nature reserve, seven people and companies have each leased 10 acres and one company was granted 10 acres, the most property a Belonger can buy and still receive a 50-percent discount. Along Silly Creek, most of the lots are less than 1 acre in size.
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 August 2010 18:06 |
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TCI Protected Areas Series
The fp is publishing a series of articles on the Turks and Caicos Islands Protected Area System to increase public awareness and respect for the beauty and value of this "beautiful by nature" country.
The authors, marine ecologist Marsha Pardee and terrestrial ecologist Kathleen Wood, are long-time TCI residents and respected scientists in their fields.
Below are links to their articles, plus related news articles, documents and laws.
- 29/7/10: Chalk Sound National Park: Beauty and ecology
- 22/7/10: Protected Areas designations and differences
- 15/7/10: Long-term prosperity vs. short-term gain
- 8/7/10: Protected Areas save environment, generate revenue
- 5/8/10: Frenchman’s Creek: Prime real estate of TCI wetlands
Related news articles
- 1/7/10: Expert report warned about encroachment on protected areas
- 8/7/10: More than 250 lots carved in Provo parks
Links to environmental documents and laws