NRCA Includes Fisherfolk in Jacob Taylor Beach Plans as Vendor Dispute Continues

Vendors at Jacob Taylor Beach in Trelawny are expected to be accommodated in an orderly manner after rehabilitation of the property, even as the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) moves to resolve longstanding issues surrounding their occupation of the site.

The Authority has stressed, however, that notices to quit issued in relation to the beach were directed at vendors and not fisherfolk, amid concerns about the future of people who earn their livelihoods there.

Under the proposed redevelopment, fishers are to continue operating at Jacob Taylor Beach and will be incorporated into the redesigned facility.

Plans include a dedicated hub for fisherfolk, providing space and facilities for boat access, storage of fishing equipment and catch, and engine maintenance.

The NRCA said traditional fishing activity at the location is protected under the Beach Control Act and that continued access for those users will be preserved when redevelopment takes place.

The situation involving vendors is different. According to the Authority, their occupation of the property has remained unresolved for years, with expired tenancy arrangements and outstanding occupancy issues preventing the site from being placed under a formal management system.

Jacob Taylor Beach was rehabilitated in 2003 with the intention of establishing a model public beach that would remain freely accessible while being properly maintained and managed in an environmentally responsible manner.

As part of that arrangement, space was provided for 15 craft vendors under formal leases.

Those agreements expired on August 31, 2006, and the NRCA said payments had been inconsistent despite repeated attempts to collect arrears and regularise the vendors’ occupancy.

More than a decade later, an internal review conducted in July 2017 resulted in a decision to issue notices to quit as part of efforts to address the unauthorised occupation of the property.

The notices were eventually served in April 2018.

The Authority said the matter has remained part of a prolonged effort to settle the expired arrangements involving vendors and restore effective management of the beach in keeping with its public and environmental purposes.

The issue has recently generated disquiet over the prospect of vendors being removed from the property as redevelopment plans advance.

Jacob Taylor Beach’s earlier model-beach arrangement had specifically contemplated commercial activity at the site, with the original rehabilitation providing formal space for 15 craft vendors.

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