More about Deans Blue Hole

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Turns out the articles and features on the Blue Hole were a year old.  Still, the webpage advertising the site is still up and running, as anyone who followed the link would see. The post about the selling of the property around the Hole was discussed on Facebook, though, and I'm going to include the discussion below, to bring us up to date; it seems that the government has moved to acquire the land around the site by compulsory acquisition.Below is the Facebook exchange.

  • David Burrows Can anyone say Clifton II?
  • Marysa Malone 'This slice of paradise in the Bahamas is one of, if not the, definitive trophy parcels of the Caribbean and is open-zoned and thus limited only by one’s imagination, whether a large resort or development of ultra exclusive private homes.' OPEN ZONED???
  • Leigh Termath James Sarles How is it that a non Bahamian company can be advertising this for sale?
  • Kimberly King-Burns it has been privately-owned for more than thirty years, and there have been several efforts to trade parcels of other land with the past two administrations that have been unsuccessful. utterly boggles the mind.
  • Ishmael Smith I think that I am misunderstanding Kimberly King. Kim, are you suggesting that the current owners of the land tried to trade this for other parcels and successive governments have refused?
  • Gina Mortimer Storr And how did it ever become privately owned....
  • Donna Harding No private owner can own a body of water, the ocean. They can own the property around it . I am told that the Government is acquiring the surrounding property by way of compulsory acquisition and either paying them or giving them land elsewhere.
  • Der Bonniesicker Say what? They selling Dean's Blue Hole?!?!?!?! Oh noooooooo. Another gem lost to the Bahamin people.
  • Nicolette Bethel It's my understanding that the land around Dean's Blue Hole was originally generation property and the family acquired the title. Well and good. The property has for a while been parcelled off for sale to private buyers. Also well and good. But there ought to be limits. The government CAN, if this threat continues, acquire the land, forcibly if need be (as was done with Clifton, as was done with the lands along West Bay Street that were needed for the expansion of the road), but I'm sure is reluctant to do so (a) because it may not wish to pay "fair" market price (though what is $24 million when we have an $80 million+ deepwater harbour, are giving $20 million a year to Bahamar, and spent $278 million on New Providence roads?) and (b) would prefer not to interfere with local Bahamian developers' right to sell the property they own.

    While no private owner can own a body of water, a private owner can make it very difficult to access that body of water. If the land around the hole (which this company has even RENAMED) is sold, the ability of Bahamians to access this world wonder will be severely curtailed, as the only reasonable access is by land.

    23 hours ago · Edited · Like · 3
  • Donna Harding I am not sure how recent the article is as this was in the news sometime ago with the real estate company saying that it was an old listing and taken off the market. I just returned from a trip there and was told that the government is indeed acquiring some of the land around the blue hole and exchanging it for land somewhere else on the Island. The Government can acquire by way of Compulsory Acquisition and to take away any doubt they hopefully will.
  • Donna Harding As regards access, it will be extremely difficult to deny it to the public when they have had it for years.
  • Gina Mortimer Storr I tht generation property is not supposed to b sold...
    22 hours ago · Like · 2
  • Antoinette Pinder I agree Gina!
  • Nicolette Bethel Thanks, Donna Harding! Looked again -- the article that was linked to it is a year old. But the web page and the listing are still very active, which concerns me.
    12 hours ago · Like · 1
  • Arlington Gibao Butler I hope through eminent domain the government acquires the surrounding property giving Bahamians unfettered access and ends all the speculation.