Gov’t moves to allay fears of displacement,loss of business among Jolly Beach vendors

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Almost three months after a ground breaking ceremony was held at Jolly Beach Rfor the proposed Nikki Beach Resort, St Clair Soleyn — the Director of Policy and Planning for the Ministry of Tourism — met with vendors on Tuesday to address several concerns.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, the meeting was convened with the group in an effort to allay the vendors’ fears of diminished business and of displacement, as a result of the newly implemented beach access measures.

Among the major concerns of the vendors are (1) a lengthy walk for tourists from the new access area to their respective businesses, and (2) fear that taxi drivers will take their business elsewhere because of limited parking, leading to stress on their clients.

The release noted that Mr Soleyn highlighted the fact that the area is indeed privately owned by the investors; however, necessary actions were taken to provide alternate access for locals, visitors and all who ply their trade in the area.

In consideration of this and taking into account the vendors’ concerns, the government, through the Ministry of Tourism, will negotiate to make the transition process as smooth as possible, facilitating continued, comfortable operations.

Patrick Burnette, President of the St John’s Taxi Association was also on hand for the discussions. He urged the vendors to “work with the government and investors and make suggestions so that an amicable solution can be reached”.

The correspondence added that coming out of the meeting, a few suggestions were made. These included an expanded parking lot area which would accommodate more taxis and which would allow for further drive-in access for the vendors to transport their goods.

The expansion could also allow for current operations to remain in place, thereby delaying construction until April 30. This postponement will coincide with the end of the tourist season, at which time they would be required to vacate the area to allow the work to commence.

Tourism officials and members of the investment team will meet this week to discuss these suggestions to ensure that the concerns of all parties involved will be addressed, the release sai,.

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