In a recent episode of the cable TV show “In Focus,” hosted by Jeff Lloyd (right), Romi Ferreira, director of the non-profit environmental preservation group Save the Bays, said the Planning and Subdivision 2015 Act will smash the right of Bahamians to have a say in what happens in their neighborhoods, not to mention potentially limit citizens’ rights to live on their own land.
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(STB Statement)
Planning and Subdivision 2015 Act Will Grant Developers ‘Instant Wealth’ Via Real Estate
Beaches abundant with powdery sand. Colorful coral reefs teeming with aquatic life. Crystal clear cerulean water. The economy.
At first glance, it might seem as if one of the
items on that list doesn’t belong. However, according to Romi Ferreira,
director of the non-profit environmental preservation group Save the
Bays, every item on that list impacts the other.
“There’s a direct correlation between economics and
our environment,” he said recently to Jeff Lloyd on the Cable
television show In Focus. “Economics is how we make money and, for the
most part in the Bahamas, our money comes from tourism,
which is utilizing our natural environment, like beaches.”
But, a connection between concerns about the
environment and daily life is sometimes lost on the Bahamian simply
fighting to survive.
“The young single mother who is struggling or the
young boy in Bain Town trying to get ahead aren’t feeling the impact,
and they own the resources as well,” Ferreira said.
That’s why Ferreira is making it his mission to educate the public on the perils of the proposed
Planning and Subdivision Act 2015 and its potential impact on all land-use planning which he says is written for the good of the select few rather than the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
“We need to make people more aware of the
connection between the environment and the way they’re living,” he told
Lloyd. “Our environment is being utilized but there’s no [Bahamian]
ownership.”
In short, if the bill is passed, Bahamian citizens
will lose the right to have a say in the way developments are built—and
regulated—in their own neighborhoods. That means that a developer can
build a multifamily community anywhere he or
she likes and if concerns arise regarding matters that affect the
quality of life for everyone in that area—big issues like water usage or
sewage and waste disposal—the residents who lived there long before the
development was ever conceived will be forced
to bear the brunt of the environmental impact wrought by the new
development, whether they like it or not.
“The bill smashes public consultation,” Ferreira
said. “There will no longer be a right for the public to be consulted.
It’s a step in the wrong direction. We’re going backwards.”
More importantly, the bill will allow developers to
purchase—and profit from—land that Bahamians themselves aren’t allowed
to touch.
“Thousands of Bahamians apply for crown land and
can’t get it with no reason given,” Ferreira told Lloyd. “Ownership of
the economy is given to non-Bahamians who are instantly given equity
whereby they can go to a bank and get a loan, creating
instant wealth. “
Additionally, land-use conflicts such as those
currently making prominent news headlines in Nassau including Harrold
Road residents being subjected to poisonous smoke from dump fires will
only increase.
In Ferreira’s opinion, though, the issue that
trumps even transparency, accountability and economic rights, is the
right for Bahamian citizens to be treated with basic dignity and
respect.
“It’s the decent thing to do to consult people if
there’s a development that’s going to impact you,” he said, “That’s
saying, ‘I respect you, you’re a citizen of the Commonwealth of The
Bahamas. Whether you’re black or white, no matter
your political persuasion, I respect you for the fact that you’re a
citizen.’ “