Hanover eco-hotelier fears Green Island natural beauty area will be destroyed by New Negril concrete plans
Published:Wednesday | September 4, 2019 | 12:17 AM
A t least one eco-hotelier is expressing concerns that the ecological integrity of the Hanover coastline will be compromised if the area is converted into a high-density tourism area.
Andrew Marr, operator of the Half Moon Beach in Green Island, Hanover, in his response to news that plans for a New Negril, which will take in areas from as far as Long Bay to Green Island, Cousins Cove and beyond, will spoil what is left as an unspoilt area.
He said the Rutland Point to Green Island coastline comprises pristine virgin territory and is among the last remaining natural spaces in western Jamaica, with some of the best coral reefs. According to Marr, he has faithfully preserved the area where he grew up as a child, felling only few trees over the years, with the Half Moon Bay now a fish sanctuary.
He is calling for the area to remain free of massive concrete structures. “They are going to spoil it. This is one of the last little unspoilt places; don’t come put up 50 stories here. Up here, they should be encouraging more environmentally friendly tourism because that is really what this area needs,” Marr said.
“What’s new in ‘New Negril’ (Green Island), is old Jamaica. It’s still like the days before what I would consider an overdeveloped Negril, and I love nature and I certainly would not want to cover this place in concrete ...,” the environmentalist said.
His Half Moon property is ranked at number five of the top 25 things to do within the Negril area. It comprises a great house, a placid stretch of white-sand beach with several small coves and the Pirate Calico Jack Island, which is a haunt for superstars who prefer being in a natural, less-commercialised setting.
It is also home to several wooded cabins which tourists from across the world book for ‘glamping” (glamorous camping). Several international television sitcoms have been shot at the location as well as Jamaica Tourist Board photo shoots. With talks by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) of buildings of unlimited heights in the area, Marr believes the area is in for a grave challenge.
“Nowadays, they are calling this New Negril, but I like to think of it more as the Old Negril in a way. But Negril, with so many concrete monstrosities it has changed quite a bit,” Marr said.
He argued that the ‘New Negril’ was where one comes to get away from it all, spend time and rejuvenate.
He is suggesting that the authorities should continue to build high-rises in Negril where they already exist, and keep the area proposed for development like the old Negril, “because it is still unspoilt up here”.
Marr said he understood the need for investment, but that it ought not to come at the expense of the natural environment. He said any addition to the room stock must be done in a sustainable manner, mindful of the natural ecosystems.
“We need the tourists; that’s for sure. We need the investment. But keep it nice so that it doesn’t run away with itself; and when it does, you have all the other problems associated with it that spoiled it.”