CIG to consider forcing Red Spot owner to sell beach
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has accepted a private member’s motion submitted by back-bench member McKeeva Bush (WBW) to consider the compulsory acquisition of two small parcels of land in the George Town Harbour where the fish market is located. Most of Red Spot (aka Dora’s Beach) is owned by Chris Johnson, who has been reluctant to sell the site to the government for a permanent fish market as he had planned to donate the land to the people as a beach for everyone to use free from commercial activity.
Local fishermen say they have been using the area to unload, clean and sell fish for decades, a claim Johnson disputes. Nevertheless, he has allowed them to use the site to sell their wares since he acquired the land in partnership with another owner in the early 1970s. In recent years, he and his family began a beautification project in the area and want to continue that work, which has been delayed by the disputes.
Johnson, a retired Insolvency Practitioner and Financial Investigator, is keen to clean the site up so it can be enjoyed by people as a beach. Towards this, he sought to remove the fish market legally before COVID and have them move to another nearby spot. The PPM administration said the issue was resolved in December 2020 but an agreement between the parties was never implemented. Since then, the fishermen have been lobbying the CIG to seize the land and turn it into a permanent fish market.
Bush, whose motion was supported by the independent opposition member Chris Saunders (BTW), argued that local fishermen had prescriptive rights to the land given how long they had used it to ply their catch. He said it had long been the place where fishermen could make a living, where residents could buy fresh fish and was part of the country’s heritage.
Bush said the government had been trying for years to buy the land. He accused the landowner of not cooperating and said it was time for the issue to be forced through compulsory acquisition.
The government rarely uses such power except to build roads. However, Bush said it was time to create a permanent but simple island-style fish market on the spot, claiming that the community would support it. But he said he hoped that an agreement could still be made to settle the issue without legal action.
This is a long-standing matter that has spanned several administrations, and Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly accepted the motion but urged the owner to sell without a legal battle and offered to pay above market rate.
In a letter to all MPs, Johnson said that when he acquired the property, there was no fish market on the site. Fish was sold further along the ironshore as a weighing scale was fitted there, he said. Sometime in 2006, without his knowledge until after the fact, concrete was poured on the sand and tents were erected, from which fishmongers began selling catches brought by other fishermen.
Johnson claims that watersports businesses also improperly used the property he wanted to keep as a swimming and recreational area. He said he asked all of them to leave, which they did after he declined their offers to rent the land. In 2012, he bought an adjacent parcel, and in 2014, his son and other adjacent landowners installed a sidewalk and a retaining wall and further beautified the area a few years later.
The government approached Johnson in 2020 to ask him to sell, but he refused because his goal was to establish a trust to hold the land, prevent its development or commercial use and leave it for the Cayman people to enjoy in perpetuity. Johnson offered to let the fishermongers use a more appropriate parcel of land that he owned along the shore. This was accepted by them and the government, he said, but sometime later, the fishmongers withdrew their agreement.
Planning Minister Jay Ebanks has since approached him again to ask him to sell. But once again, Johnson said he wanted to press ahead with his plans to place the land in trust and retain it as a non-commercial beach location for the public to use. No other official approaches have been made since then, he said. He first learned about the plans for compulsory acquisition from a Cayman Compass article outlining Bush’s motion.
“In the opinion of my family and I and numerous persons I have met to discuss the matter, all believe that this motion is a dangerous precedent and will raise concerns with existing investors and have a detrimental effect on potential investors in the Cayman Islands,” he stated in the letter sent to all members.
Johnson also noted that neither the government nor the fishermen have explained why the previous agreement and the offer of using his other parcel of land have not been accepted. (See the map of the site below showing the land in question.)
Johnson has confirmed that he owns OPR 5 and that OPY 7 is owned by Shireoak Ltd, a company where the shares are held in trust for the Johnson family. OPY 189 is owned by Waterfront Centre Ltd, a company believed to be owned by Kel Thompson and his family. While OPY 189 is part of the site, Johnson questioned why the motion does not seek to compulsorily seize that parcel, only those owned by the Johnsons.
See Johnson’s letter and the PMM in the CNS Library.
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Category: Politics
MadDweeber looking to complusory buy beach land again? He forced Winston McNamee out of the house at the entrance to North West Point road that eh rented for the watersports company he had because some West Bay politrickan wanted to build a shop there for his wife because that was supposed to be the dock area tenders were to drop people off in West Bay. What a joke, they need to compulsory buy the eroded beach areas, flatten them and hopefully stop the erosion by removing the damned sea walls that started the problem in the first place. Loss of one of the greatest beaches in the world because money bag foreigners who could give a darn about Cayman wanted a place to sit and watch the sunset away from the commoners. They reaped what they sowed but we pay the price for the loss of something irriplacable.
All buildings had planning permission from the CPA and Planning.
Don’t blame the foreigners, it’s not that simple.
Government should purchase all the beach erosion properties at their true market value and demolished them for the greater good of the country.
We should recall that leased Soto Beach Land at Public Beach was traded to Dart, and now there’s a hotel on it. What special friend is lined up behind this deal? Not the people of the Cayman Islands.
Hardly surprising that a convicted drug dealer would be fighting so hard to preserve this importation channel.
If only the government put as much effort into resolving the things that actually matter to the public such as;
1) the dump, the longer they leave it the more leverage Dart will have.
2) 7MB erosion, this is like THE reason to come here and we don’t even know the scientific based reason for it.
3) A public transport that the public deserve and helps reduce congestion.
4) Improving driving standards, and reducing the number of uninsured drivers on the road.
And I’m sure I missed a few. Spending time and public money (over FMV) on a compulsory purchase order for a beach that has been promised for public use is utterly petty at best and an abuse of power at worst. We deserve better stewardship from our public servants.
Our politicians spend effort on things that financially remunerative to them , not general interest of the public. Ask yourself – who wil benefit from Chris Johnson no longer owning this beach? There’s your answer as to why some MPs are so mad keen on this.
The fish are brought in via truck. Hence why its next to a parking lot. There is no history here worth saving.
Just let the fishermen file their claim for prescriptive rights.. what’s the problem? If they have been there since the 70s they will prevail anyways. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy..
Photographs and Satellite images have no record of the fishmongers being on the property before about 2006. Moreover in Covid they abandoned the Red Spot Beach and we’re relocated to the South Terminal. Legal opinions say they have no rights of occupation to the land.
If the fishmongers were so sure of their rights why have they not objected to the application of Chris to install a ramp in order that handicapped people can have access to the beach.
We all know this only relates to vote buying of Kenneth Bryan , the wannabe politician of the district. It does not pass the sniff test as does much at the fish market.
For those not aware the government changed their motion last week to also acquire parcel OPY 8 which is owner by a company owned by Mr Johnson’s family. Just how nasty can they get?
look at the map and you will see all the surrounding parcels all owned by the Thompson family. that is racial abuse and needs to be reported.
Note also the squatting fishmongers only occupy part of OPY 5. Why the hell is CIG hell bent on taking this man’s land. This is vote buying and sets a very dangerous precedent. It is not in the public interest and contrary to the law.
This is just an act retribution! They are getting back at him because he sometimes speak out on their foolishness. Stand strong Mr. Johnson.
I encourage everyone to go have a look at that beach during on days when cruise ships are visiting. You will see scores of tourists taking selfies with their cruise ship floating in the background just hundreds of feet away, in pristine clear blue water. Where else in the world has an attraction like that (at least one that isn’t a concrete pier in polluted water)? That beach is a national treasure that should be preserved. If Mr. Johnson wants to give it to the people, then we should support him in that effort.
I don’t trust government’s intentions, especially since the motion was brought by Mac. No doubt they want to take it over to make it a part of their greedy cruise port expansion ideas.
You will rarely find “local” fish there. This is an outlet for the commercial (mostly Honduran) snapper boats to sell what they couldn’t sell to the restaurants and supermarkets. These fish are mostly coming out of the back of a pickup truck and are not really “fresh” fish. In some cases the commercial boats stay offshore for 10 days or more. They take those 10+ day old fish and set them out on a table in 90 degree weather and wait for some fool to buy them as fresh. Good theatre but buy at your own risk.
And you can just go down any canal these days and purchase the drug…… I mean fish from one of the boats docked up on residential plots, probably use their porta potties too. This place has gone to shit, vote em all out!
The fish was fresh many years ago before they started going out in the nights to meet up with the Honduran boats. By the next morning it has begun to rot. However it is a nice spot for the tourists to snap a photo with “the locals”
Buy them an ice machine while you’re at it so they can stop poisoning folks with spoiled fish. DEH regularly inspects fish at the grocery stores for internal temperature. Anything over 42 degrees has to be discarded. Fish market fish get left on the table for hours and DEH looks the other way.
Chris. You could always take a page out of the national heroes playbook (per Jim Bodden) and take a bulldozer to the site out of spite.
I’d like to see the ludicrous hypocrisy from the politicians if you did. One rule for them. One rule for us.
I remember Jim doing that as I was working in an office at the Old Fort Building at the time.
A few years later we crossed swords when I liquidated Prospect Properties where all sorts of skullduggery had place. We still managed to get people 50% of their money back.
Skullduggery is alive and well, when we consider the scale of omission from the CIG Balance Sheet.
This is just an act retribution! They are getting back at him because he sometimes speak out on their foolishness. Stand strong Mr. Johnson.
Reminds me of “traditional” Easter camping. One or two tents before, perhaps, but it first became a thing in the 90s.
How about suddenly “remembering” that it’s Smith Barcadere, not Smith Cove
Section 8c of the Land Acquisition Law says the seizure must be for the benefit of the public.
Mr Johnson fight on the public are behind you. You we trust the government we do not.
Thank you I am aware of the section and so is my legal team.
Mr. Johnson has more brains in his little finger on his left hand than Mac and his minions have in their sawdust filled craniums. Go get them Chris!
So another classic case of “old” expatriate/immigrant against “new” expatriate/immigrant and this should come as no surprise, but stuck in the middle is the vacillating, frequently confused Caymanian!
“in 2001 and 2002 the rediscovery of a traditional Nassau grouper spawning site in Little Cayman resulted in approximately 4,000 fish being caught. Some of the catch could not be sold and had to be discarded.” (https://www.caymancompass.com/2006/05/05/protecting-the-nassau-grouper/)
You’re both talking about the same place but two different times. The OP “In the early nineties”, you’re just under a decade later.
It is patently obvious from the above map that Red Spot Beach is divided into three parcels, one of which is not owned by Mr Chris and his family. The third parcel, 189 is owned by Kel Thompson and family.Now this is a clear example of racial abuse. The Government has broken the law and should be investigated.
I find it truly amazing that a person who has made his generous offer to the people of Cayman has been pilloried in this fashion.
The perpetrators of this attack on Chris need to be pilloried in Hero’s square. Make it a public event, stream it to YouTube, I’d pay at least $250 for a front row seat. Think of the proceeds that might be generated from an event such as this and benefit a worthwhile, above board Cayman charity.
You are wrong. I purchased that property in 1973 togeter with that on the other side of the road where I started the Hampstead Ltd.
I spent a lot of time there.
You need get your story straight.
Fight on Chris!
The public are behind you here.
I hope the government isn’t foolish enough to make such an attempt.
Stand your ground Chris, for Cayman’s sake someone needs to stand up to these brigand politicians. You have far more supporters than detractors and if you could ever run for office you’d win by a landslide, even Premiership wouldn’t be out of the question.
The UK Govt needs to investigate rampant corruption in Ministries of Lands and Planning. And this is the tip of the iceberg. Cayman is fast becoming another TCI.
Far worse. Just deeper under the rug. More money. Bigger issues. More people complicit. More sophisticated. Pulling the covers off would implicate too many. It is baked in.
Chris Johnson will not be ‘rolled’. CIG will pay dearly if it wants to buy Red Spot.
We need Trump to help us drain the swamp..
Please, please take him!!!!!! He’s your’s, plus we’ll throw in his kids, son-in-laws, Mitch McConnell, Jim Jordan. And an extra gift – Taylor Green and Bobert! You asked – they are yours!
It started with The Dormant Accounts Law. The Cayman’ definition of “dormant” is 7 years of account inactivity.
Not 7️⃣0️⃣SEVENTY ‼️ SEVEN7️⃣ ‼️
In Switzerland it is 60 years or longer. Moving to another country, a death, the closing of a company – there are any number of situations in which a person can forget to update the bank of important information relating to changes to an account.
Modern day pirates of the Caribbean
I buy my weed there. Didn’t even know they sold fish.
The fck you think that smell was?
Does it smell fishy?
Always been there ? Some people have short memories. In the early nineties I used to watch the English football on a single black and white TV in Captain Bryan’s. This was before flat panel tvs. There was no property to the left (or south) of his bar other than a small area of concrete for an 8-car park, just a patch of sand and beyond that was ironshore. Kids would descend a set of Stony steps with a single rotting wooden handle, to get from the carpark down to the sand, and find crabs to chase. There were no fishermen at least until 2004. By 2004 there was another bar next to capt bryans, can’t recall it’s name now but it was open-air. Very popular with the staff from IMS across the road, and one of the few bars selling cold beer right after hurricane Ivan. It might even have been owned or operated by Johan moxam. But definitely no fishermen nearby. Hard to see what generational entitlement can transpire from infrequent use of a patch of sand. Someone has been telling porkies to the MPs.
Lies
If you were here you would remember all the groupers laid out and wasting!
Fishermen have been there for years.
Hammerheads.