BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HOURS after news of the possible eviction of the Sea Bridge Auto Ferry Service from its Major’s Bay location had been circulated, politicians from the Concerned Citizens’ Movement (CCM) have maintained that the ferry service should not have been granted permission to construct its pier at Cades Bay in the first place.
The car ferry which was launched in August 2007 may be soon be relocated farther inland to accommodate the construction of the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a major element of the Christophe Harbour development. According to Christophe Harbour’s Chief Operating Officer LeGrand Elebash, the decision to relocate the Sea Bridge pier was part of the initial agreement with the government, adding that the pier would “not [be] compatible with a five-star hotel environment”.
The news comes about four years after the CCM government had refused to grant permission for the Sea Bridge’s jetty to be built at Cades Bay, as the site was already earmarked for tourism development.
Addressing the situation on his Wednesday night (May 13) talk show “On the Mark”, Leader of the Opposition Hon. Mark Brantley said, “Much is said that the CCM in government did not wish to have the Sea Bridge operate... [but] that area was slated to be a high-end tourism development area and they thought that the operation of the sea bridge would be incompatible with the type of high-end villas and perhaps hotel development there.”
Brantley said it is “interesting” to see similar arguments unfold on the St. Kitts end and questioned the reason why the pier was constructed although Elebash claimed that the government already agreed that the pier would have to be moved.
“People say what they will,” said Brantley, “but it’s all about having proper perspective and proper vision because if one has a slated use for a particular area, it is important that whatever other investment comes that it is compatible and it fits within the overall context of one’s developmental thrust.
“If Mr. Elebash is correct, that part of the Christophe Harbour agreement with the Federal Government is that the ferry sea bridge cannot stay there, then you must ask the question why was it given permission to be put there in the first place. Because it now having been put there, we are now hearing that it has to be relocated and the question then is...‘Relocated to where?’”
The Leader of the Opposition said in early discussions that he was met with much opposition for seemingly trying to discourage a local investor. He however noted that he and his party were concerned about a number of factors including tourism development, environmental impact and the security of the service.
“In an upsurge of criminality we needed to ensure that we have security at both ends of that Sea Bridge. It seems to be running in an autonomous fashion with no oversight. It docks on both sides in a sparsely populated area in Cades Bay and in St. Kitts on a wholly unpopulated area at the south east peninsula. And it seems to me quite easy for people bent on doing bad to go between the islands with their van or their cars loaded with what we don’t know,” asserted Brantley.
The establishment of the Sea Bridge in the Cades Bay area was discouraged by the CCM government but was given the green light shortly after the National Reformation Party (NRP) had taken office in July 2006.
Details of the agreement with the developers at Christophe Harbour and the Government regarding the relocation of the pier are still unknown to the public.
