Town Hall Meeting on Port Project and Resettlement Plan for Affected Fishers and Businesses

A town hall meeting has been announced for Tuesday, June 29 at 7PM to discuss the Addendum to the Environmental & Social Impact Assessment for the Montserrat Port Development Project. This addendum includes the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), which sets out the details to manage the relocation of fishers, boaters and tour operators at Little Bay Reef.

The RAP also covers options for adequately compensating anyone directly displaced, either economically or physically, as a result of the constructions and operations of the port project in Little Bay.

The public is invited to attend the meeting either in person at the Montserrat Cultural Centre or online. Comments on the proposed resettlement action plan are invited and must be submitted by July 5.

The port project is funded by the UKCIF via the Caribbean Development Bank. After several extensions to allow for additional information to be provided to the pre-qualified bidders, port project officials have set a final bid deadline of July 6.

Several revisions of the port design have been done to bring it closer to the available budget of 21 million pounds – £14.4 million from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF) and an additional £7.098 million from the European Development Fund EDF11.

The current design, identified as Alternative K calls for a 130m long by 20m wide pier, 75m seaward coastal protection, and a 23m RoRo Ramp. The initial design (Alternative A) was 160m long by 20m wide pier and included a 300m breakwater.

Here are the details to join the discussion online and to give feedback on the resettlement plan.

YouTube: GOM Information Unit – YouTube

Facebook – Government Information Unit Montserrat | Facebook

MCWEL – https://www.facebook.com/MCWELMontserrat/

Spirit of Montserrat – https://www.facebook.com/MNISpirit/

Digicel Cable – Channel 96