The changing face of Negril in JAMAICA.....THEY tell of an idyllic village some 60 years ago: a time when thick vegetation lined the beach; a time when continuous stretches of coral reef jutted so far out of the water that people could walk on them; a time when the Great Morass was vibrant and healthy.

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor - features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, June 04, 2014    

THEY tell of an idyllic village some 60 years ago: a time when thick vegetation lined the beach; a time when continuous stretches of coral reef jutted so far out of the water that people could walk on them; a time when the Great Morass was vibrant and healthy.

It was a time before hotels, before Norman Manley Boulevard, before North Negril River.

Stakeholders maintain that some property owners have built
 too close to the shore. 

But a lot has changed since then and people like Ray Arthur, Nehru Caolsingh, Sophie Grizzle-Roumel and Mary Veira, who either grew up in Negril or have lived there for at least 50 years, have watched as the skyline and shoreline have changed with the rate of rapid human development, often with very little consideration for the natural environment.

Take for example, the distance between some beachfront properties and the shore. Or that on the right side of the boulevard towards Hanover, there are buildings, businesses and car parks on lands that were once part of the morass - a large swamp that is home to, among other things, the endemic Royal Palm.

"It is undeniable that a number of people who have been involved in development on the beach have violated some of the rules and regulations set down and as a result have been impacted from beach erosion today more than others, but also the authorities are to be blamed," said Caolsingh.

He was speaking at a recent meeting of Negril stakeholders convened to discuss their position on government's plan to build two breakwaters 1.5 km offshore west of Negril beach. They are adamant that the project will cause more harm than good and propose that a series of activities to include beach nourishment, enforcement of the development regulations, observation of the marine park rules, and restoration of the morass would be more sustainable, more long-lasting and more beneficial to the entire stretch of the famous beach, as opposed to the small area where the breakwaters are to be constructed.

Negril, circa 1956, shows a densely
 wooded beachfront.

On the subject of government regulation, Caolsingh added that the original setback which indicated how far from the high water mark developers could build was 150 feet.

"As time went by, some developers wanted to add more rooms per acre and they adjusted the setback to 100 feet. Following on that, the Negril planning authority has not always been functioning. There are times when there is a board, there are times when there isn't a board... and we have found people coming in totally violating the building regulations, have built so close to shore that even if you were to walk on the beach today you will see that some are more impacted than others and that is from their own doing," he said.

Caolsingh also spoke of the dredging of the South Negril River which shifted the course of where it entered the bay.... more