IDA calls for transparency in Store Bay Beach Club plan
Tourist John Finkelstein tests out his chac-chacs, bought from vendor Mona Singh, right, while his wife Merle looks on in amusement, at Store Bay Beach Facility. – File photo by David Reid
THE Innovative Democratic Alliance (IDA) says Tobagonians deserve to know the true scope of the THA’s proposed Store Bay Beach Club project, including its environmental impact and how it aligns with the needs of the community.
At a news conference at the IDA’s headquarters in Scarborough on September 3, the party’s PRO Kay Trotman called on the THA to provide “immediate and full transparency” about the redevelopment of the Store Bay Beach Facility, including the developers behind the initiative.
She said there are serious concerns about the intentions and the project’s potential impact on communities.
“Why was there no meaningful consultation with the affected vendors and the wider Tobago community?” Trotman asked.
“The THA must involve all stakeholders to ensure that any development benefits everyone and not just a privileged few.”
While she acknowledged the THA has met with tenants on two occasions to discuss the project, Trotman said, “The process has only deepened our concerns.
“The proposal has been met with troubling concern, to say the least, not because the vendors are opposed to progress but because of the exclusionary process employed by the THA.
“The vendors, who have been the lifeblood of Store Bay for generations, were not given a voice in the conceptualisation of this development. They were not asked for their input. Instead, it appears the project was decided upon behind closed doors without their consent and involvement. “In fact, many vendors find the very name Store Bay Beach Club troubling, as it evokes images of an exclusive luxury development that could alienate locals and increase costs for vendors and visitors alike.”
Trotman said the vendors are not opposed to development and understand the need to enhance Tobago’s tourism product.
“However, they strongly oppose the THA’s approach, a process that has ignored their voices, disregarded their livelihoods and imposed decisions without adequate consultation.”
The IDA, she said, has learnt there are plans to relocate the vendors to an area next to the facility later this month to facilitate the start of the project.
“Yet there are no visible signs of preparation for this, and many vendors remain unclear about the details of the project even after two meetings with the THA. “This lack of clarity and transparency only adds to the anxiety and frustration of those whose livelihoods are at stake, a situation that is indeed troubling and unacceptable.”
Trotman regarded the situation as an “assault on Tobago’s tourism product,” saying it reflects what the party considers the THA’s “pattern of hasty and poorly-conceived decision-making.”
She claimed it is the same pattern that led to the recent, abrupt displacement of vendors along Swallows Beach.
Trotman said the THA’s action highlights the need for constitutional reform which gives communities the right and power to prioritise projects.
A Facebook post on Phillip Alexander’s 1 Support page on August 30 claimed the facility was being given to “the one per cent.”
But in a statement on August 31, the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation denied having any final redevelopment plan.
The division said during the July/August vacation of 2023, E-IDCOT did surveys to garner public views on how the facility can be improved.
It added the responses were used to create a conceptual rendering of the redesigned facility “and this was unveiled first to the immediate stakeholders, including tenants, staff and other users.”
The division said no tenant has been issued eviction letters nor has any procurement process been initiated for work to the existing facility.
“The public is assured that there will be wider public consultation after the redesign process is complete and all tenants and stakeholders of the Store Bay Beach facility continue to have free and easy access to information and updates through the office of the facility manager.”
During a news conference at the facility on September 2, Progressive Democratic Patriots leader Watson Duke condemned the move, describing it as a “potential tragedy that would not bring Tobago any advancement but would leave a sour taste upon (sic) Tobagonians, Trinidadians and would-be visitors.”