The planned overhaul of Bananes Bay is at a critical stage as the government and opposition spar over the fate of its residents, with accusations of unequal treatment, broken promises and a lack of transparency fuelling public debate.
Opposition United Workers Party candidate Rosh Clarke has slammed the government’s approach, pointing to the 2022 settlement between Cabot Saint Lucia and Marjorie’s Restaurant as a benchmark the Bananes Bay community has yet to see.
He recalled that Cabot built a brand-new restaurant, transferred 20,000 square feet of freehold land – “a first in Saint Lucia’s history” – and paid $1.1 million in compensation.
“It was not an easy journey but after years of negotiation a settlement was reached,” he told a news conference on Tuesday.
“Don’t the residents in Bananes Bay deserve the same treatment? Clarke asked. “At first, they were promised land. These promises have been reduced to conditional cash payouts. Where’s that same energy for the people in Bananes Bay? Why was it so easy to champion transparency in Cas En Bas, but conveniently, everything is confidential in Bananes Bay?”
Tourism Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire, however, insists the project will uplift the community.
At a pre-cabinet briefing that followed Clarke’s claims, Hilaire outlined plans for temporary housing, a modernised fisherman’s village and upgraded facilities.
“One of the residents even said the conditions now are just not the best for civilised living,” the minister said. “We cannot, in all good conscience, bypass an opportunity to redevelop the place and to help the residents, according to their choosing, find better arrangements.”
The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority defended its “structured and transparent” relocation process that prioritised “dignity and fairness”.
“Independent property and crop valuations were conducted to guide compensation,” the authority said in a statement. “Personalised packages were developed based on structure value, length of occupancy and potential income loss. Even without formal documents, claims were accepted in good faith.”
Additional support has included relocation grants and temporary housing assistance, it added.
Hilaire has also pledged that the fisherfolk will not be sidelined during redevelopment.
“We’re going to prefab a couple of containers and divide it so each fisherman can have a temporary holding space while they’re rebuilding the fisherman’s area… They’ll get a proper landing area, lockers, a place where they can sell their fish, with running water and all the facilities in place… So there’s nobody being disadvantaged.”
In the meantime, residents and fisherfolk are left weighing the promises, hoping they will truly benefit from Bananes Bay’s transformation.
