Public Beach Access Sparks Legal Battle

A growing conflict over access to Jamaica’s coastline has intensified as activists challenge what they describe as an unequal tourism system restricting public use of beaches while expanding private resort development.

At Mammee Bay in St Ann, memories of open shoreline life still shape the argument. Devon Taylor recalls a childhood defined by interaction with the sea, from fishing to family gatherings. “I grew up on Mammee Bay,” he said. “That beach raised us. It fed us.”

That history contrasts sharply with present conditions. Taylor and other campaigners say that in 2019 residents were barred when fencing and security were introduced for hotel construction. He claims resistance led to confrontation. “In protest, the community ripped down the fence and reoccupied the beach,” he said. “Gunshots were fired to disperse the protest.”

Taylor, founder of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement, argues that the tourism model prioritises foreign visitors and local elites. “We call it plantation tourism because it has all the characteristics of a plantation,” he said.

Several coastal sites, including Mammee Bay, Little Dunn’s River, the Blue Lagoon, Bob Marley Beach and Flankers or Providence Beach, are now subject to five court cases. The first trial is expected later this month.

Campaigners say the disputes reflect unresolved colonial land arrangements. Although beaches were transferred to the Jamaican state after independence in 1962, laws such as the Beach Control Act of 1956 still regulate access and development.

In Portland, Blue Lagoon residents say they were misled when access was closed in 2022 under promises of upgrades. They allege it was meant for private villa construction. “For generations this beach has sustained all the communities around it,” said Colin Beckford.

In Flankers, residents have launched legal action to block further development. Campaigner Olando Brown said, “Our foreparents shed blood for this land. We shouldn’t be forced to fight for what is already ours.”

Monique Christie of Jabbem said the beach remains vital for families and fisherfolk who rely on affordable recreation and income. At Little Dunn’s River, Damion Coombs said communities generate tourism revenue but receive little return, warning that exclusion reflects outdated colonial attitudes toward coastal use.