Letter to the Editor
Westin Hotel wrong and insulting about beach access
Monday, August 30, 2004
Dear Sir,
In the Thursday 26 August of the Caymanian Compass newspaper, there was a
reply from the Westin Hotel to the beach usage by the people of the Sunshine
Suites. Not only is the Westin Hotel wrong again, this time they are insulting
every Caymanian and tourist on this island.
First of all, they argue that the Sunshine Hotel does not have an access to
the public area of West Bay Beach. If the management of the Westin would care
to look out their windows or better yet, go out to the sidewalk on the south
boundary of the hotel, they will find a brown sign with the image of a swimmer
on it. It shows that there is access to the beach at that boundary.
In fact it is a six-foot right of way that is defined on the maps of Cayman
as a public right of way. If they care to look at their northern boundary they
will see another right of way sign for the public’s use.
These rights of way came about because the property of the Westin Hotel is
more than 200 feet in frontage on West Bay Road. The planning law states that
any property more than 200 feet in frontage must allow a right of way of six
feet for every 200 feet or part of 200 feet over the original 200 feet.
That is why there are two rights of way on the property of the Westin
Hotel. If the Hotel does not like these rights of way on their property, they
should not have built where they did. The planners and developers of the hotel
property certainly knew these right of ways were there as they would have been
told this when they were in the planning stage of development and again when
the signs were put up by public works.
The second part of the reply from the lawyers of the hotel is enough to
raise the hackles on any Caymanians head. If the hotel spends so much money on
charity and community work, they are to be commended. But to then throw this
in the face of Caymanians and imply it gives the hotel the right to ignore and
even break our laws flies in the face of all reason.
If you are spending money in order to break our laws, you should keep your
money for the lawsuits you may face. To then say that people are second-class
if they do not stay on the beach is insulting. You owe an apology to those you
denigrated. Your guests and the guests of Sunshine Suites are all one
category: tourists, and that means visitors to our islands. To say that anyone
not staying on the beach does not have the same rights of usage to the seas of
Cayman, is not only an insult, it is wrong legally.
Again, the hotel and now their lawyers too should bone up on our laws –
these laws are there for the preservation of our heritage, and as all
Caymanians know, heritage comes before hotel, not only in the dictionary, but
in our hearts and laws, too.
Bruce Orr
West Bay
Back...
Click
here for reader comments...
| 
