A community activist hailed a landmark High Court ruling ordering the removal of structures at Joe’s River as a major victory for Bathsheba residents and a crucial precedent for protecting public access to Barbados’ green spaces and coastline.
Victor Lewis was among the residents who challenged a private developer’s construction at Joe’s River, alleging that it threatened to end generations of access to the popular recreational spot.
On Thursday, Justice H. Patrick Wells issued a decisive order in the dispute between developer Richard Hains of Ullswater Investments Limited and the residents. In his 42-page judgment, Justice Wells ordered the immediate dismantling and removal of all existing structures erected by the developer.
The case, brought by Lewis and fellow resident Christopher Oliver, sought recognition of what they said was a prescriptive right-of-way across the developer’s land leading to the Joe’s River basin below the Tenby footbridge. The judge noted that the path also leads to the well-known concrete monument, the “Teacup and Saucer”, a scenic lookout perched on the coastal ridge with sweeping views of the St Joseph coastline and Atlantic Ocean.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY following the judgment, Lewis said the community never doubted that the court would affirm their rights.
“Generally speaking, you know, we continue to give God thanks for the way He has led us over a period of time,” he said. “We as a committee knew within ourselves that justice must prevail in such circumstances.”
Lewis, 68, said his lifetime of experience in the district reinforced the community’s belief that access to the green space was longstanding and undeniable.
“I would have seen all of my elders in the district access those areas in so many different dimensions… fishing, just relaxing, picking grapes, hiking,” he said. “We knew very well that justice would prevail and that future generations now will be able to look back upon 2025 and know that we stood fast as a people.”
For Lewis, the case is emblematic of broader threats to green spaces across Barbados.
“There are many different areas where green spaces are being threatened, and we as a people must be conscious that this is part of our cultural expression and our wellness sanctuary,” he said, listing places such as Three Houses Park, King’s Park, Joe’s River Forest and Monkey Jump. “There’s no acrimony against the developer, but justice, as I said before, in the end, has prevailed.”
The ruling has become a touchstone in the debate over access to public spaces and tourism development. Earlier this year, former senator Dr Crystal Haynes publicly opposed a government proposal to hand over management of the historic Holetown Civic Centre to a private tourism firm. She questioned the assumption that increased tourism investment automatically benefits Barbadians, pointing to concerns raised by the Barbados Workers’ Union about seasonal hiring and low wages among hotel workers.
“I cannot sit here and be a part of something where I feel like we are perpetuating the problem,” Dr Haynes said at the time. “We need to be very clear on what the guardrails are for these developers. Tourism is notoriously extractive, we know that.”
In the Senate, she urged that the Holetown facility remain publicly accessible, citing environmental concerns and the already congested nature of the area.
Lewis said he admired Dr Haynes’s stance and argued that the Joe’s River ruling reinforces the need to safeguard public access islandwide.
“I would have heard Senator Crystal Haynes speak to the whole concept of green spaces and that it’s quite a sad experience what we realised on the West Coast of Barbados, and she doesn’t want to see this trend continue. I support her in that venture,” he said. “We have got to make sure that this 166 square miles, that we look after it as a people.”
Lewis also questioned the planning decisions that allowed the Joe’s River situation to escalate.
“As the head of planning and development, such decisions are highly questionable and certainly yesterday it clearly materialised that a mistake was made… not on behalf of the developer, but by us as a people,” he said. (SB)
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