Beach access policy criticised as too weak to secure public rights for Jamaicans

The Government’s response to beach access has been criticised in Parliament, with a speaker arguing that real national resilience should be judged by action, not speeches. The concern centred on Jamaica’s beach access and management policy, which has been tabled by the Government but was described as too limited to correct long-standing exclusion from the country’s shoreline.

The speaker said beach access remains one of the clearest signs of environmental inequality in Jamaica, claiming that less than one per cent of the country’s coastal resource can be reached freely by the public. Jamaicans, the speaker argued, have seen more of the coast placed behind security posts, gated properties, hotel areas, closed-off routes and reduced access for fishers.

Although the policy was welcomed as an admission that a problem exists, the speaker said it treats access as something to be controlled and granted, rather than protected as a right of the public. The argument was that beaches should not be available mainly to people who can pay for hotel rooms, day passes or other private entry.

The address also challenged the Government’s focus on the number of public beaches, saying the better measure is whether ordinary Jamaicans can reach the sea freely, safely and at a reasonable cost. The speaker linked the issue to everyday dignity, including whether fishers can launch boats, children can play by the sea, families can enjoy Jamaica’s natural spaces, and residents of Drapers can continue using Blue Lagoon for commercial and recreational purposes.

Several proposed changes were outlined, including guaranteed public corridors to every beach, legal safeguards for traditional fishing communities, protection for public easements, a national map of access points, tighter limits on coastline privatisation and updated laws grounded in sustainable environmental justice.

The speaker said Jamaica’s beaches should not be treated only as tourism assets, whether in Portland, Montego Bay or elsewhere. The closing argument was that Jamaicans should be able to benefit directly from the same natural resources that attract visitors to the island.