A call for Transparency and Accountability
September 2025, Grenada nationwide — It is becoming increasingly apparent that development in Grenada is not an issue for public discussion. Communities who are anxious about proposed or approved developments in their areas find that their attempts at engaging in constructive dialogue with relevant authorities are consistently ignored, and some have already turned to the legal system for judicial reviews, such as Grenada Land Actors (GLA) and Coral Cove group.
Some of the more recently troubled areas include:
The development of a jetty/apartments/restaurant at Cabier
The industrial boatyard at Mt Hartman
The rumoured jetty at Halifax Bay
The industrial complex at Woodford
The stacking of stones on the beach in La Sagesse
Due to the lack of willingness to listen by different administrations, Grenada Land Actors took the route of a judicial review to protest the destruction of the mangroves in La Sagesse, Mt Hartman, and Levera for mega-developments. The legal process has taken so long, all three mangrove forests have now been destroyed by developers, a great loss for the Grenadian people.
The Coral Cove group, protesting the industrial boatyard in Lance Aux Epines, are also in the process of a judicial review and are once again facing the long wait for a decision by the Courts despite the fact that the lease for the land states categorically that only a marina may be allowed to be built in this environmentally sensitive area. As the Coral Cove group have pointed out, ‘a boatyard will contaminate the sea with aquatic poisons… removal of mangroves...all this within a stone’s throw of the Dove Sanctuary and a Marine Protected Area’.
Communities continue to attempt to engage relevant authorities along with the Planning and Development Authority (PDA), which is the agency entrusted with ensuring that planning applications are agreed in line with environmental considerations. One community is Cabier, situated on a small peninsula in the Parish of St. Andrew accessed by road from Crochu. Small businesses in the area became aware that another major development was being proposed for the area to construct 70 plus condos and villas, possibly a restaurant, and a jetty. They tried to engage with relevant Ministries and PDA with only an initial response from the then-acting CEO of PDA in the early part of the year, but nothing since then. This project would involve a major excavation in locations where historical and archaeological artifacts are documented. Some members of the local community have been able to access the scoping report which claims there are no sites of special interest at Cabier, but an Archaeological Site Inventory - (GREN-D-10 "Carbia Beach") - states that pre-Columbian and European artifacts were found there in 1993. The Scoping Report also contradicts itself by saying no sites exist while also identifying heritage as a "moderate risk" requiring mitigation. It appears that documented archaeological information was not taken into account, however members of the community have said ‘the developer should be required to fund a proper assessment before breaking ground and the National Museum can be looped in to oversee compliance under the Museum Act’. Relevant links:
- Report: https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/90c4ccb7-09ed-4a90-a46a-68491d927925
- Map of all sites: https://www.grenadaarchaeology.com/ASIG/home.html
- Museum site description: https://gnm.catalogaccess.com/sites/52
In the case of the Woodford community, for almost a year they have been protesting the proposed industrial complex rumoured to house an asphalt plant and a quarry along with the cement batching plant already in situ, within close proximity to the residents in the area. Emails continue to go unanswered and requests for relevant documents are ignored. Excavation of land directly opposite the industrial plant was carried out with no planning application to PDA and no consultation with the local community. PDA eventually placed a restraining order and the excavation was suspended but not before extensive damage and destruction of cultural artefacts and the local mangroves. It is rumoured that the excavation was carried out for a proposed jetty in Halifax Bay, an area - we have this on good authority - where many of the fisherfolk in St. John find their bait, therefore an important area for spawning. The local community has voiced concerns regarding the lack of a study on the effects of such a project on the marine population, the mangroves, and the wider implications of an open border such as smuggling of arms, etc.
The community has requested repeatedly for access to the scoping document and the Terms of Reference for the Environmental Impact Assessment, which is within the public’s right to do within the Escazú Agreement and national legislation, but nothing has been forthcoming. Once again GLA is asking for more transparency from the relevant authorities regarding community consultations and planning applications.
We also want to ask people to think about what kind of Grenada we are envisaging for the generations to follow. What kind of legacy do we want to leave? A country incapable of defending itself against climate change due to the loss of all our major mangroves, a concrete jungle which denies Grenadians its cultural heritage and its natural wealth; or do we want to preserve Grenada’s natural beauty, a place where the people’s contributions are valued in its efforts for sustainable development?
