Aftermath of DCA removal action on tent owned by Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle on Morris Bay
The Development Control Authority (DCA) has confirmed that it carried out enforcement activities at Morris Bay Beach today as part of a long-running effort to address breaches of the Physical Planning Act and to protect the safety and environmental quality of Antigua and Barbuda’s coastline.
According to the Authority, several vendors and operators who have been occupying parts of the beachfront without authorization were advised as far back as 2019 that they were in violation of national planning laws.
The DCA said affected individuals received repeated verbal and written notices instructing them to vacate the beach or regularize their operations in accordance with established planning requirements.
Despite the numerous warnings, the Authority states that no corrective measures were taken. As a result, enforcement notices were issued and officers have now begun removing illegal structures, including tents, trailers, and other fixtures along the shoreline.
The DCA stressed that today’s actions were part of a “long-standing compliance process” and not a sudden or targeted operation.
In its statement, the Authority emphasized that the enforcement exercise:
• Is not directed at any specific individual or group;
• Follows consistent notices issued over several years;
• Is being carried out strictly in accordance with the Physical Planning Act and national development guidelines.
The removal effort, the DCA added, is intended to restore the natural beach environment, improve public safety, and ensure that Morris Bay is used in a manner consistent with national planning policies and the wider public interest.
The Authority says it will continue monitoring coastal areas to ensure compliance with the law and maintain orderly development across the island.
LOL All of a sudden statement come out, You go see at the polls unayou backside. Now to my more intellectual side…The DCA’s statement conveniently ignores the public perception that today’s demolition was abrupt, heavy-handed, and deeply political. Claiming a “long-standing compliance process” means little when the Authority chose this week, during a national budget debate and immediately after political cross-talk, to execute such a drastic action.
If enforcement truly began in 2019, why did the DCA wait until now to act? The timing alone undermines their credibility and raises serious questions about impartiality.
The timing seems suspect lardhamercy
The DCA can dress it up however it wants, but this was a calculated, politically convenient takedown.
If this were truly about environmental integrity, the DCA would have acted YEARS ago and not the same week the Prime Minister threatened to remove Pringle’s tent.
This looks like political muscle disguised as planning enforcement, and the people of Antigua and Barbuda see it for exactly what it is.
People always cry foul when enforcement finally comes, but nobody talks about the years of notices they ignored.
Hard to shake the feeling this is more political than regulatory.
I have little to no doubt that there was some politicking in this. Now I will admit that belief doesn’t = fact, but you know what is said about appearances. Now….if you all backside had gotten on these matters as soon as they reared their heads there would not now be this drama. Alllllll kinda law a bruk, ppl a dig up Gov side walk, shit pan rd., mentally unstable ppl walking around with planks and nails in the public street, ppl putting up shacks anywhere, selling and leaving their trash there, old car allllll over a block traffic, ppl dumping once they see a vacant lot, bus sheds are the new airbnb’s, ppl parking right on the corner’s….you can’t even make the bend sometimes, vehicle a move around regularly without or with very faded number plates, round man w walk round high day inna 90+ degree weather with hoodie …. SO OF COURSE ITS GONNA APPEAR TO BE TARGETED NOW. Tap gee Bligh. Stamp out de things dem as soon as dem start!
The D.C.A Needs To Stop Their Liadness.
Why These People Love To Suck Gaston Browne Dick So..
It’s A Spiteful Act. That Demolition Wasn’t Legal, It’s Out Of Spite.
That’s Why The Prime Minister Nar Tap Get Knuckle!!!
That was infact a political act but karma is a bitch this so called prime minister is heartless, vindictive, arrogant and the list goes un but time is longer than rope your time will use your power as long as you can but God has his way of dealing with the wickedness of people like you
They warned people since 2019. At some point the law has to mean something. You can’t just set up wherever you want on the beach.
The DCA’s statement completely overlooks the anxiety and outrage among vendors who now fear that their livelihoods could be destroyed overnight.
A government agency that respects its citizens does not bulldoze without dialogue.
A government agency committed to fairness would apply enforcement uniformly—not selectively, not theatrically, and certainly not in a way that appears to silence political dissent.
Your time coming
If the DCA wants to regain public trust, it must explain why ordinary small vendors have been allowed to operate for years, yet suddenly the only major enforcement we see is against an Opposition MP.
Where is the uniformity?
Where is the fairness?
Where is the transparency?
The DCA cannot hide behind legal language while openly contributing to an atmosphere of intimidation and fear among beach operators and citizens.
The DCA’s attempt to frame this as routine enforcement insults the intelligence of the public. You don’t tear down a $65,000 tent belonging to the Leader of the Opposition while he’s in Parliament and expect people to believe it’s not targeted.
The Authority can repeat “non-political” all it wants, but the optics tell a very different story. This looks like selective enforcement, weaponised at the most convenient political moment.