August 26, 2026

NRCA says fisherfolk will be included in redevelopment plans for Jacob Taylor Beach in Trelawny; efforts continue to regularise illegal vendors

The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) is advising that as part of its redevelopment plans for the Jacob Taylor Beach in Trelawny, the fisherfolk who currently operate at the beach will be incorporated in its restoration efforts.

The reassurance was given following disquiet over plans to remove vendors from the beach property.

While the fisherfolk will remain, it’s the vendors who continue to pose a challenge for the Authority, despite years of efforts to regularise their occupancy.

According to the Authority, the fisherfolk will not be displaced as the conceptual plan provides for their integration through a dedicated fishers’ hub with facilities for boat access, equipment and fish storage, as well as maintenance of engines.

The NRCA said the notices to quit were not served on the fisherfolk.

It adds that the fisherfolk’s rights as traditional users are safeguarded under the Beach Control Act and their continued access will be protected when the proposed redevelopment proceeds.

The Authority says the notices were served on vendors occupying the beach illegally, and were intended to address an outstanding occupancy and tenancy matter, and to allow the property to be brought under a lawful, orderly and properly managed framework.

The move, the NRCA says, is in keeping with the original intent for the beach, when it was rehabilitated in 2003 to operate as a model public beach that was well maintained, environmentally responsible and freely accessible.

It adds that the model beach plan also made allowance for 15 craft vendors to operate in the space, through formal lease arrangements.

However, it says the lease payments were sporadic despite repeated efforts by the Authority to collect outstanding sums and regularise the arrears.

The vendors’ leases reportedly expired decades ago, on August 31, 2006.

Following an internal review in July 2017, the NRCA says it determined that notices to quit should be issued so that the unauthorized occupancy could be addressed and the property brought under effective management.

It says the notices were subsequently served in April 2018.

Since then, the NRCA says, the matter continues to form part of a longstanding process to resolve expired tenure arrangements, address outstanding occupancy matters, specifically relating to the vendors, and enable the Authority to manage Jacob Taylor Beach in keeping with its intended public and environmental purposes.

The NRCA says provisions will be made for the orderly accommodation of vendors once the rehabilitation work is completed.