Address by the Hon. Omar W. Hodge
Minister for Natural Resources & Labour
Speaking on
The Anegada Development Project
and Land Allocation Task
20th August, 2008

~~Adz:Right~~Roadtown, Tortola- Ladies and Gentlemen, I greet all of you under the sound of my voice in these beautiful Virgin Islands.  My task today is simple.  I am here to inform you that Government has found a solution to deliver to our brothers and sisters and fellow citizens of Anegada, titles to the land that has been in their possession and their families’ possession for a couple hundred years.  This has been a long process and a great struggle and I am pleased that finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The list of those who have worked hard to get us to this point is extremely long.  Suffice it to say that we owe much to governments past and present, Ministers of Natural Resources past and present and management and Staff of Departments like, Attorney General Chambers, Town and Country Planning, Land Registry and Survey, to name a few. 

Today is a great day for all Anegadians.  It is the day you have anticipated since the mid 1800s when, according to our records, resolving the ownership of lands in Anegada first received serious consideration.  Most Anegadians alive will tell you that Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by way of the then Governor in the form of an Ordinance, allotted the Anegada Lands to the Claimants of Anegada.  I can tell you proudly that under my stewardship as Minister for Natural Resources and Labour in the late 1980s, I commissioned a report by John Douglas Barrymore Renwick which was received in 1988 and which has been the basis for the allocations we now pursue. 
 
Since receipt of the Renwick report, successive governments took charge of ensuring that the ownership of Lands in Anegada became a reality for the people of Anegada.  Their efforts included the 1994 Draft Land Use Plan prepared by the Town & Country Planning Department, the 2001 Subdivision Concept Plan prepared by the Survey Department in addition to countless deliberations by the Executive Council.  The result of these undertakings allowed for persons to be compensated due to the ongoing Anegada Airport expansion project whilst other persons benefited by being given freehold titles to land.

It was during the first quarter of 2007 that the Ministry of Natural Resources & Labour in collaboration with the Town & Country Planning Department, the Survey Department and the Land Registry Department revisited the preparation of the Anegada Land Development Plan.  With a number of previous studies already well researched and well established, the Plan progressed rather rapidly.  During the month of November 2007, under the direction of the Premier and Minister of Natural Resources & Labour, the first draft of the revised Plan was formally presented to the people of Anegada.  The meeting served primarily to familiarize Anegadians with the Project and to seek feedback on the proposal. 

During the eight months following that meeting, the Project Team revised and fine-tuned aspects of the project to better reflect the views of Anegadians.  In July 2008 a draft plan reflecting the views of Anegadians along with revisions were presented to the Government in-Caucus.  The Caucus gave its blessings and the next step for the Project Team was presentation and detailed discussions with the new Anegada Lands Committee under the Chairmanship of Mr. Darvin Potter. 

A number of public meetings have been planned to ensure that Anegadians both within and outside of Anegada, become familiar with the process for receipt of lands on Anegada.  The first public meeting will be held on Anegada on 28th August 2008 to be followed by meetings in the United States Virgin Islands and New York.

In closing, let me assure everyone that with the completion of the Anegada Development Project and Allocation Process the people of Anegada will benefit by:

1. Legitimately owning the land and having titles as proof  of ownership
2. Having access to all parcels by way of roads
3. Having the shapes of all the parcels regularized
4. Having zoning designations in place
5. Knowing that the environment will be protected
6. Knowing that orderly and sustainable development will prevail
7. Knowing that economic opportunities are ahead
 

Thank you for listening.