Bar owner seeks removal of Barkers turtle grass
Coastal works application (click to enlarge)
(CNS): In anticipation of moving to the Barkers National Park area, on Dart-owned property there, the owner of Calico Jacks Bar & Grill has made a coastal works application to build a 300-foot beachfront dock and to remove almost 180,000 square feet — more than four acres — of turtle grass from one of the last remaining pieces of natural coastline in West Bay. The application was published in the notices section of the local print press last week and has already caused a massive stir on social media. It has also triggered a petition which had been signed by over 1,130 people by Wednesday afternoon.
The popular beach bar has been located in the heart of Seven Mile Beach for some 15 years but the lease expires in 2020. The current landlord is one of Dart’s network of companies and the developer has plans to incorporate the current Calico site along with the former Tiki Beach location into the Kimpton resort.
It is understood that Handel Whittaker, the owner of the bar and the holding company, Adventure in Taste Ltd, has been offered a replacement lease on land owned by Dart in the Barkers area, where Whittaker has said he has plans to create an expanded resort-like version of Calico Jack’s to attract cruise passengers as well as other tourists and locals.
However, the proposed site is located on an unspoiled and so far entirely undeveloped area of the Barkers coastline, which remains in its natural state.
Barkers National Park coastline
The application by Whittaker is seeking to remove 179,775 square feet of turtle grass from the immediate coastline and install a coastal dock of around 300 feet to accommodate the proposed expanded beach bar, swimming area and day resort area.
The location is part of a marine park and a significant replenishment zone. It has been protected since 1986, not least because of the turtle grass that sustains an array of marine life in the area, as well as turtles that nest on the beach where the resort is being proposed.
The removal of turtle grass in the past has led to considerable sand loss, and the petitioners point to the Bodden Town public beach, where the removal there of the natural turtle grass resulted in the loss of more than 40 feet of beach.
CNS has contacted the Department of Environment about the issue, but officials said that because of the coastal works application process, they are not permitted to comment on it until they have completed their review and submitted their findings to the National Conservation Council and Cabinet.
According to the details of the application, which is being handled by the Ministry of Health and Environment (and not, as indicated in the advert, the Ministry of Financial Services, Commerce and Environment, which no longer exists since the post-election reshuffle of portfolios) the public can submit comments up to 29 November in writing to Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn at the Government Administration Building in Elgin Avenue, George Town.
Category: development, Local News, Marine Environment, Science & Nature
Once again Dart is wanting to dig up our shores. This is Dart and if it is approved it will be because the “Dart fix” is in with the government. Dart again refuses to accept the sanctity of our Marine environment. This application going in from Calicos is still Dart land. If approved Dart wins again and the environment loses. Years ago on the Brac a new manager of Divi decided too pull up the sea grass at the hotels beach. the beach immediately started to erode. left alone the sea grass grew back and the beach reclaimed itself. If approved this will cause damage to one of the only pristine sand shorelines in West bay.
Poor people in unhappy marriages got nothing better to do with their time.
I’m all for th removal of the turtle grass in some areas, however Barkers should be declared a national park and all commerce and residential prohibited from the area. The same should happen with the entire eastern and southeastern coasts of the north sound, at least 1 mile in.
It was declared a National Park by McKeeva with photo ops with Prince Edward . But paper parks for PR and no supporting legislation and regulations are worthless.
We have no beach for cruisers. Where would you all suggest to build one? East, West, North or South? There is no place on the North or the South. East is too far, so the west has been bought out. How about the Governors’ house? We can build him a beautiful house on a canal so he can go fishing, Diving or go to Sting Ray City when he’s finished working in the evening. Handel can build the same project on Governors’ beach or Twin Pine, Voilá
Let’s just stop the cruise ships altogether & try to make Cayman attractive again to residents & long stay visitors. We don’t need cruise passengers strangling George Town, wandering aimlessly in their swim suits & spending nothing or going to a beach bar to get wasted and polluting the oceans with their plastic waste & sun tan lotion
A million thumbs up!!
Best comment of 2018!
Abso-fricking-lutely!
Why would ANYBODY want to add this to their world. Stupid, insane, misled, stupid?
Only Petitions signed by registered voters will have effect…and even then, who knows. I signed it as a registered voter. Hopefully more registered voters will join me in doing the same. It would be good if petitions from Change.org added another column for “voter ID number” to validate this method of democratic action and speed up the process of effecting action.
This reminds me when THE TREES saw the devastation of a burnt forest, the natural habitat destroyed, they DECLARED WAR against evil ! Eventually, the river or waters as well! Mother nature rebels whenever you do wrong. Thank God for mother!
https://youtu.be/ZsM8n3FrvxU
And lest you folk forget who started all of this… And who ‘allowed’ (read – sold out), was your very own home grown peeps. You very first Honorable Premier. And each and every Caymanian that sold their land and their business to Dart.
Hide and watch my friends. At least I have 2 other passports if the heat gets to hot for my wee Caymanian feets.
Anybody notice the new wooden structure just been built extending into Public Beach from Calicos. Did this get planning permission? And don’t get me on the subject of the beach vendors just leaving at the end of the day, and not picking up their guests garbage. Do these idiots not realize they have to come back and work at this same spot the next day. O wait, someone else will pick it up for me. FFS
Anyone who has been to Barkers knows that this is really an application to tear up the long-standing beach rock. How dumb are we supposed to be?
Except that it’s nothing of the kind and you are dumb.
I go to Barkers for the peace, the solitude and to enjoy nature, as I’m sure many people do. A noisy bar like Calico would ruin that entire experiences. It’s bad enough that there are very loud motorcycles there occasionally, but at least they are not a daily occurrence.
As a Caymanian, I am thoroughly and utterly disgusted with the level of environmental degradation that is being put forward in the name of “development”. I’m tired of the f@*&ing sell-out Caymanians who are so eager to make a buck that they’ll sell out their legacy. Why the hell they don’t also just bend over and lube up is beyond me.
“He hath founded it upon the seas”. What a joke. Sometimes I wish to Christ that the seas would just swallow up the island.
Please run for government
One thing we learn from these comments is shame on West Bayers for stealing immense quantities of beach sand and dumping their garbage and stolen cars and motorbikes in this area for decades, not to mention the illegal drug use.
Any development in Barkers should be carefully monitored for it’s environmental impact and top of the agenda should be no large scale removal of the turtle grass.With proper controls in place which there should be if Dart owns the land, we can hope for a complete turnaround from it’s past shameful exploitation. Properly managed this could become another major asset to our tourism industry.
Wrong wrong wrong. All this ‘shameful exploitation’ you mention would disappear from the face of the earth in about a years on it’s own. How long do you think it will take Dart’s latest self pleasuring project to return to the good earth. All so people can get drunk and forget their miserable life for a few hours or days. Damn. Sad people that won’t admit it and face it are destructive.
Moses thanks you for the distraction from the real issue.
These folks coming to Cayman nowadays are not coming to be Caymanian they are coming to steal and destroy Cayman there are far better places to relocate Calico Jacks north of kimpton ???? why Barkers???? Why mess with damaging the environment up there. Handel you better than this or are you just another punk like those who sold out CNB ???
Folks coming to Cayman? This is your own home grown Caymanian bobo. Open your eyes!!!
What about the few companies that do horseback riding on the beach. Some of them have been doing this for over 15 years!!!
Tell them to go do it on their own land
Wow! Why?
Which is why there was more horseshit than garbage on the beach last weekend.
Horse shit is mainly grass/vegetable matter and completely decomposes over a relatively short time whilst being an excellent fertiliser for plants. No comparison to the trash being collected.
8:19 Did u buy shares in C N B an do all your banking there to support the Bank ?
As opposed to those folks who originally came to Cayman?
This is what the end of the world looks like.
The end of our world you mean.
Big ol’ construction job happening up there right now, though none of you have even bothered to go look see.
What is the planning zoning for the land proposed for the development?
Is the proposed land in the area set out for the Barkers National Park?
Are there currently any other developments proposed for Barkers – Residential or Tourism related?
Where is the science to support the objections?
All of these questions are important in this process…
Cayman, have we become a country of “objectors for personal entertainment” or the nation of “Monday morning quarterbacks”.
It has been designated a Marine Replenishment Zone for decades. The protected Turtle Grass areas are the fish nurseries for our reefs.
http://doe.ky/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Conservation-Brochure-13-April-2018.pdf
Understood…. but the land side is designated Hotel Tourism under the Planning Law and the Coastal Works Application process will take all of these factors into consideration surely.
As a family we have lived in the Barkers area (not the beach) for almost fifty years and I have always been amazed that the second best beach on Grand Cayman has gone undeveloped.
Getting to Barkers beach used to be quite an excursion as it was little more than a dirt track used mostly by West Bay fishermen. It was a wonderful peaceful area and I used to ride my horse there. I do believe, however, that one horse creates a lot more sand movement than one hundred humans. Nowadays the main activity on the beach seems to be horse riding.
Then came the period of the sand stealers who dug out huge areas of other people’s land sometimes to a depth of ten to twelve feet. To gain access for their illegal activities they made the track accessible for their trucks and mechanical diggers. As the area become more accessible by car the illegal dumpers started to dump their garbage along the roadside.
Then MRCU cut a series of canals throughout the area as part of the mosquito control programme and this was like a gift from heaven with all of these new canals just waiting to be filled with garbage.
Then Government started to build a new road set back from the beach with the hope of creating some development, it is still there going from nowhere to nowhere.
The area also become a haven for illegal activity and wild dogs. At one point the police used to lock off the area at dusk but that seems to have been stopped
Development of the area is not wrong if it is done properly. Where would Cayman be today without development?
Part of the Barkers beach is designated a public park and should remain so. The beach that forms part of the park should be available for all to use without having to step around the garbage and other debris strewn around. That of course is where Dart’s money may be needed!
The remainder of Barkers beach could be developed which would mean utilities being extended throughout. Proper lighting and bathroom facilities would be a great addition to the park. Also having people living in the area should deter some garbage dumping as one will notice that it all occurs beyond Pappagallo.
I would hope that the thousand odd petitioners in favour of leaving the Barkers area undeveloped will organise themselves into a clean-up party and go to the area once a month to remove the garbage that is regularly dumped there.
I agree with everything Neil has said. However, my concurring with him does NOT extend to excavating the turtle grass to create a swim area, which of course he didn’t mention. South Sound was dredged 50 years ago and the recovery is far from complete.
We have to be vigilant and not fall for the “look over there” tricks of the developers when they are trying to push through something unacceptable wrapped up in a package of good ideas.
If our politicians could ever come together and create a new Development Plan that would be constantly updated with input from the islands’ residents there would be no need for these petitions, or doubts by developers over what they may or may not do on a project.
Well said John and Neil. John hit the nail on the head. Cayman needs that new long overdue development plan and let’s have less discretion in the planning laws. The discretion on setbacks is a joke.
I believe it’s a protected area and thus, turtle grass can not legally be removed. Can Planning Dept blatantly disregard laws.
The craziest thing that happens on your surrounded by water rock is…are….POOLS!
Olympic size pools, 39 proposed pools by the dump…pools are everywhere! It would have made sense in Sahara dessert, but not on a stamp size island.
Ban all future pools for the lack of available land and plentiful sea water.
too many folks here commenting without knowing any facts….
get the eis done, study it…then comment.
Remember the beach rock fiasco. The people said no, it will cause erosion and damage the beach. The highly paid consultants said it would be no problem. They removed a patch of beach rock. Now go and look and see what happened.
what happened?
Nothing
The beach got wider
It’s a plot to squish in yet more cruise ship passengers 😉
What happened? I walk that beach almost every day and there has been no viable change that would fall outside of the normal 7 Mile Beach dynamics that is based in large part on the seasonality of the weather patterns.
And yet last time I saw it it had eroded way back.
#fakenews
The same way they are studying the facts about the environmental impact of the new cruise dock? They kicked out Gina Petrie Ebanks because they don’t want her harshing their mellow. Seems really counter productive to spend money on an EIS because nobody cares, nobody will pay attention and this is doubly true if it is not in the interests of the ruling few.
“the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil..”
it is ‘evil’ to mess around with God’s environment to this extent, please don’t destroy anymore of what we need to hold so dear to our beloved isle Cayman.
Naw Handel.. you should’ve known better. And barkers of all places ? You not Caymanian or what, don’t you know how them bayers stay ? Let this be a lesson for all running down dart seeking milk and honey. In the end they set the rules and you leave you to pillage for yourself when your time is up. Why not open this venture in north side is the big question?
They are not opening it in Northside because it takes too long to drive cruisers there and back whereas it’s 15 minutes each way for Barkers.
Smell the port…in barkers.
As a potential tourist, I would not go to your establishment if you destroy the turtle grass!
Do we really need another bar to add to the hundreds already existing on this island (we soon drown in alcohol) why not protect this natural habitat? What will the future generations have to show their children? So many obvious questions but yet our useless CIG continues to allow these attractions built for the foreigner to hinder Caymanian lives. Furthermore I can count the amount of Caymanians on one hand that even go to Calicos in the first place!!! These old foogies continue to sell our country while they set themselves up for a good retirement. Caymanians will soon be a stranger in our own country if we aren’t experiencing this now.Stop the nonsense and build something for all of us to enjoy. Stop seeking to damage the environment!!!!
I thought you want a moratorium on all development. Nature would recover.
P.s. no one would enjoy their retirement long, the entire island is a toxic Dump. Earth without humans documentary comes to mind.
Do we really need another bar to add to the hundreds already existing on this island (we soon drown in alcohol) why not protect this natural habitat? What will the future generations have to show their children? So many obvious questions but yet our useless CIG continues to allow these stupid attractions built for the foreigner to hinder Caymanian lives. Furthermore I can count the amount of Caymanians on one hand that even go to stupid Calicos in the first place. These old foogies continue to sell our country while they set themself up for a good retirement. Caymanians will soon be a stranger in our own country if we aren’t already experiencing this. Stop the nonsense and build something for Caymanians to enjoy and tourist alike stop damaging our natural enviroment!!!!!!!
Who ever wrote this should frame your post and have it displayed all over Cayman! Thank you
Why won’t they civilly organize and deliver their messages to the government?
Like they do it in France for example?
Who caymanians are afraid of? Is there some Mafia?
If you can’t protect the environment, how are you going to protect people. You can’t separate people from the eco-system. As you destroy the planet, you destroy humanity too. Hence, by all means, our government’s intervention is necessary for protecting people from people.
May the Holy One continue to bless and protect these Islands,
Unison
I personally don’t like the idea, but I’ve got to laugh as some of the same hypocrites on here squealing, are probably the same ones who throw their KFC bags from their vehicles.
Drive round the island it’s a disgrace
This is Dart all the way. I’m sure Handel would rather keep Calicos. Ken Dart has done a lot of good for the island but now he’s gone too far. He went too far when he banned live music on a Tuesday night at Calicos. There will be a backlash, Mark my words, it’s coming! No amount of money will save you or your loss making organisation
OUTRAGEOUS!!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. LETS GET OUR ISLAND BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
Hope you been saving, or you expecting the NAU to bail you out?
How about a legislative change and law imposing a property tax on all owners of land over, say 100 acres? That would do it.
It was too late a long time ago. Give unto Caymanians all things Caymanian. The rest (including most of the land) belongs those who worked harder, saved more, and spent wisely over the years.
Destruction of the things tourists want to experience e.g.the natural habitat leaves me speechless but it’s
Just Another Day in Absurdistan
Then why are there no tourists enjoying the natural habitat on Barkers and swimming through the turtle grass currently?
Because barkers isn’t promoted for swimming. Many do go horse back riding, which is promoted. Dill weed.
You think about it for a while and see if you can answer your own question.
Thank God that place will finally be used for something other than illegal dumping, joyriding stolen motorcycles and illicit drug use.
Illegal dumping, stolen motorcycle and illicit drug use can be corrected by more police presence. Killing mother nature can never be replaced.
Many use for other reasons like kiteboarding, horse riding, dog walking, beach chilling…
On whose property and how much do they pay?
75 volunteers cleaned the beach last weekend because Dart can’t be bothered to maintain their own holdings.
Did they arrange a bus or did they all drive their own vehicles? #fakeenvironmentalists
Many of those volunteers were Dart employees
What a nonsensical comment.
It was a question, I dare you to answer it, honestly.
Public land
Strike one
I can’t wait to hear Jackie Doak try to spin this one. How about Dart actually try to protect and preserve the environment instead of using proxies like Handel to do the dirty work for his masters. It’s sickening for them to try this on and hide behind Handel Whittaker who should know better. Greed drives all decisions Caymanians selling out Cayman.
Read the various versions of the NRA Agreement and you will see the specific timelines and retractions that pepper the documents. Our backroom “leadership” has fallen into all of their carefully designed traps, one after another. It helps to know that CIG can’t help themselves – they chronically miss deadlines and are too lazy to read, or hire real lawyers. We pay the price through their making terrible trades with DART’s snakes. It must pay well enough to keep the Cabinet from enacting the Standards in Public Life Law.
Perhaps the CPA will turn it down!
What’s funny is half of the people commenting on this have probably never been to Barkers and the other half probably agree with building the new port and are against this. Smh
DART – too far, much too far.
100% correct
Clear it and build it already.i think it’s a benefit. Wasted space that goes unused.
Speaking of wasted space…
This sounds like a strategy to let the Caymanian ‘trying to make a living’ rip up a marine park so that Dart can do the same to the adjoining areas. We are not blind to this scheming. Keep the Marine Park intact!
Dart /Decco will have an ulterior motive while pulling Handel’s puppet strings to get this out of the ground , just look at the Britannia acquisition . I look forward to Jackie’s spin on this one.
Oh hell no! Not only should this not be allowed, there should be no bars or anything in barkers other that what occurs naturally! If the bar goes in I can tell you no one but ignorant tourists will go because we will all boycott.
I am a tourist and hell no, I won’t go! Leave the natural areas alone! This is a national park!!!
No you are not and no it is not.
Yes I am and that’s what I’ve been told it is from my first trip down many, many years ago.
Always check your sources. Also, your caymanised grammar gives you away.
Sorry you can’t hear my New England accent. Re. The caymanised grammar- maybe I’ve been visiting the island for too many island.
Right! These ignorant tourists are exactly what your dictatorial government is shipping in on the boats that will tie up to your new cruise pier.
I’m a tourist that’s been coming down for 20 years. Love your island and hate what’s been going on with the building. Too much cement imo, but when start to destroy national parks it’s over the top. All for bars?
It’s not my cruise pier buddy. And if it goes in there will not be anymore tourists than we already have currently coming to Cayman no matter what the government tries to sell ya. So, like I said, only people who will go will be tourists who have no idea what went on to get this bar out there.
Amen! Great reply!!!!
Shame on us Cayman, SHAME ON US!!! What is it going to take? What is it going to take before we stop things like this from happening? Do you not understand this is one more thing taken from our children? We are being sold away, our heritage is being sold away, OUR ISLAND is being sold away one piece at a time. Damn us to hell because we continue to let our corrupt CIG allow these things to happen.
But it’s being sold and developed by greedy Caymanians.
No one sold the turtle grass!
Well shame on those greedy Caymanian too! They can’t take the greedy green with them when their layed to rest!
I know it’s being sold by us and that is the worst part. What is owned by Caymanians are being given away by Caymanians and the CIG continues to allow it because they too are happy to sell Cayman out from under us.
My 13 year old son read this article and asked me last night if anything was going to be left for him when he grows up. I honestly didn’t know what to tell him. If anything I will be making sure he has his British Passport. At the rate we are going, that maybe his only viable option.
Tell him the truth. The answer is no, son.
Only being developed by one Caymanian though, who got his status in the mass status grants!!
The bigger tragedy is that you and your children are unwitting guinea pigs in uncontrolled environment poisoning experiment.
The more you sell and develop, the more waste it would generate.
Do any of you detractors even go up to the beach at Barkers? I used to walk quite frequently on the Barker’s beach several years ago, and there was no-one there. Maybe a few people on horse tours, or one person kite surfing, but basically the beach was entirely unused. Having a nice bar and swimming area will give another option for all of the people in the surrounding area other than SMB. If the dock was large enough, boats could even come in. What is the point of having a beautiful beach with nothing on it but a bunch of iguanas?
What are you talking about!
Government can always put tables, benches, and parking lots there for easy access – and NO MORE!
What this guy want is not environmentally friendly! And the dock will just kill the beautiful natural scenery of the place.
I agree it’s not environmentally friendly at all!
Like the dock a few hundred yards to the west?
Not every piece of land next to the water has to have a bar. Can’t the Cayman Islands please keep an piece of land that is unspoiled!!!!
@7:37 pm You uncultured swine
Not in the National Park at all, don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though.
Do you own any block & parcel unda ‘da sea?
Yes, yes I do.
It’s not block & parcel, it’s all your bottom!
No need to be so anal.
Simple: The Cayman Islands are a Dictatorship. Get out while you can. Things are about to get much worse.
Mr. Dart maybe the next dictator of the Cayman Islands! Seems like everything he wants the government gives the OK!
So said so done, the environmental rape will continue until the last ton of concrete is poured.
Why Dart WHY? Is nothing sacred? How much money and destruction of the environment is enough?
So far, “Port” is coming to Barkers. Straight up.
Guess your circle wont know this untill an article is posted on CNS in near future though……
Email your objection to Jennifer.Ahearn@gov.ky
Stand up Caymanians before it’s too late. The CPA will sell out the same way this Cabinet and the PPM and UDP mla’s have sold out to dart.
It will set a precedent that will see every developer and home owner especially in the eastern districts do the same.
More evidence that Alden Moses Joey Dwayne Roy Julie and Tara are no different than McKeeva who they must keep happy or the house of cards will fall apart.
Selling our souls for this cruise tourism business. Leave Calicko Jack where it is now. Oh wait, Dart don’t like it! Hurry then, give me whatever it is they want this week. They own Cayman.
Signed.
Unfortunately even if DOE does not support the application it can still be granted by Cabinet.
Don’t you miss having a real governor?
No.
I say no and we don’t want Calico Jack there. Keep it as it is. We hardly have anywhere to go on seven mile beach. Keep Barkers as it is.
You have no rights to go above the high water mark in Barkers either, does that stop you dumping your crap there?
Let NRA dump in North Side!!!
This man is delusional and I trust Dart was unaware of these plans when offering him an alternate location.
Dart knew exactly what was planned.
So you don’t think his 20 year plan included this? You do know he has a 20+ year plan, right? I mean it’s been in the news before. You’re just now paying attention to what’s been going on??????????????
“Told ya so” I knew I’d get to say this eventually.
Dart has been harassing the few landowners in that area for years to sell to him so he could control this area. It was always planned to move Calicos here. From when Dart said Calicos was too noisy and negatively affecting his new hotel but yet is building a huge open air arena for concerts right on the other side of the same hotel!!!
Oh but it’s the foreigners who are the enemies of Cayman, eh!? Y’all better look in your own backyard.
We had to learn it from somewhere.
oh please. Take responsibility.
Selling out each other and blaming everyone else.
We can’t blame the foreigner, they come with intent and money. They can get nothing if WE allow them to have nothing.