- Thread starter windeguy
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Encuentro Beach Shacks Bulldozed today in Cabarete
This was on Facebook and said to be taken from DR1:
From today's DR1 Newsletter...maybe someone can make some sense of this:
7. Small businesses evicted, beach open to public
Backed by a Supreme Court of Justice ruling, government authorities closed small business stands from Encuentro Beach, to the west of Cabarete Beach in
Puerto Plata. The court order was in response to a petition filed by two companies: Inversiones Calpes SRL and Mesa Investment Limited.
In a paid advertisement in Diario Libre, Inversiones Cape manager Lance Lundberg states that Julio Cesar Monegro (Arismendy) for over more than a decade
illegally occupied portions of their property and the public space (60 meters of the sanded beach line) and rented this space to small businesses.
The company says that the recovery of the property by its rightful owners "at no time will affect the free access and enjoyment of Encuentro Beach by the
general public.” The company says that the same people that now allege the beach is being privatized were those who illegally rented the spaces, with the
passive support of government authorities who turned a blind eye to the practice.
https://www.instagram.com/playaencuentrolibre/?hl=es
https://www.facebook.com/PlayaEncuen...0313712446012/
http://diariopuertoplata.com.do/desa...ntro-cabarete/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PlayaEncuentro/about/
From today's DR1 Newsletter...maybe someone can make some sense of this:
7. Small businesses evicted, beach open to public
Backed by a Supreme Court of Justice ruling, government authorities closed small business stands from Encuentro Beach, to the west of Cabarete Beach in
Puerto Plata. The court order was in response to a petition filed by two companies: Inversiones Calpes SRL and Mesa Investment Limited.
In a paid advertisement in Diario Libre, Inversiones Cape manager Lance Lundberg states that Julio Cesar Monegro (Arismendy) for over more than a decade
illegally occupied portions of their property and the public space (60 meters of the sanded beach line) and rented this space to small businesses.
The company says that the recovery of the property by its rightful owners "at no time will affect the free access and enjoyment of Encuentro Beach by the
general public.” The company says that the same people that now allege the beach is being privatized were those who illegally rented the spaces, with the
passive support of government authorities who turned a blind eye to the practice.
https://www.instagram.com/playaencuentrolibre/?hl=es
https://www.facebook.com/PlayaEncuen...0313712446012/
http://diariopuertoplata.com.do/desa...ntro-cabarete/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PlayaEncuentro/about/
If what I posted in post 42 above is true, then the owners of the land took back their part of what was being illegally rented and the public space will remain public and will be accessible by anyone. The casualties were the illegal businesses and the illegal rent going into one person's pocket.
Still to be determined if anything else is planned by Inversiones Calpes SRL and Mesa Investment Limited.
Still to be determined if anything else is planned by Inversiones Calpes SRL and Mesa Investment Limited.
I got it from the fact they mentioned they blocked the public access to Encuentro beach. And no, people can not buy land and do what they want with it.... For your info private property owners are obliged to provide public access to the beaches in DR - read the law if in doubt (though the rich developers and land owners break the law - what's new... !).
Private property can indeed restrict access to a beach
Uzin, If a private property owner owns all of the property around a certain beach, they can indeed block the access to that beach by land. They are under no obligation to provide a right of way through their privately owned land to that beach. ctrob is correct.
For example, just try and walk in to Sea Horse Ranch in Cabarete with and try to use the small private beach they have. Sea Horse Ranch owns all the land with access on either side of that beach. They are not obligated to let you use that beach by going through Sea Horse Ranch property. (Try to approach that beach from the ocean and I expect some guards will ask you to leave, despite you legally getting on that beach, but that is a different story. )
As for Encuentro, the situation is still somewhat unclear. The property owners who took their property back in the recent government action claim they will never block public access to Encuentro beach. Never is a long time, so we will have to see what happens near term.
Uzin, If a private property owner owns all of the property around a certain beach, they can indeed block the access to that beach by land. They are under no obligation to provide a right of way through their privately owned land to that beach. ctrob is correct.
For example, just try and walk in to Sea Horse Ranch in Cabarete with and try to use the small private beach they have. Sea Horse Ranch owns all the land with access on either side of that beach. They are not obligated to let you use that beach by going through Sea Horse Ranch property. (Try to approach that beach from the ocean and I expect some guards will ask you to leave, despite you legally getting on that beach, but that is a different story. )
As for Encuentro, the situation is still somewhat unclear. The property owners who took their property back in the recent government action claim they will never block public access to Encuentro beach. Never is a long time, so we will have to see what happens near term.
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#EncuentroLibre!!
Of course they can. Within the law, they absolutely can do what they want. And that's exactly what the Legal Land Owners at Encuentro beach did. They removed the squatters.
There is a gov't office that comes out for any new development and makes a determination as to whether they must provide an access. The developer doesn't get to decide.
I've never heard of beach access being forced on a homeowner, although I guess it could happen if it was a big enough plot.
What amazes me is the outrage on that FB page because a landowner is kicking out the squatters.
#EncuentroLibre!! Idiots
Of course they can. Within the law, they absolutely can do what they want. And that's exactly what the Legal Land Owners at Encuentro beach did. They removed the squatters.
There is a gov't office that comes out for any new development and makes a determination as to whether they must provide an access. The developer doesn't get to decide.
I've never heard of beach access being forced on a homeowner, although I guess it could happen if it was a big enough plot.
What amazes me is the outrage on that FB page because a landowner is kicking out the squatters.
#EncuentroLibre!! Idiots
I think it all depends on when and where and who (big enough pocket). I read if there is (was) a public path to a beach, then whoever takes over the land can not close that public path to the beach. Then again who knows when these big developers or land owners took over and if they managed to get around this law - easily with enough cash and bribe...!
I am not sure if that path to Encuentro beach was designated as a public path to the beach (who is to say !), if it was then they can't block it, then again with some friends anything is possible.
The same argument went with that little path to that small Playa Chikita beach years ago, but the municipality managed to keep that open - for now ... !
See Horse Ranch, Casa Marina and Sosua Bay and many others took over those area years and years ago, I think even a bottle of rum would have been enough to close any public path then... lol
I am not sure if that path to Encuentro beach was designated as a public path to the beach (who is to say !), if it was then they can't block it, then again with some friends anything is possible.
The same argument went with that little path to that small Playa Chikita beach years ago, but the municipality managed to keep that open - for now ... !
See Horse Ranch, Casa Marina and Sosua Bay and many others took over those area years and years ago, I think even a bottle of rum would have been enough to close any public path then... lol
It is the same old mentality that we see all the time here. Just because you can do something and get away with it for a long time doesn't mean that the practice is proper,sanctioned or legal and that you are guaranteed to be able to do that something forever.
People often feel hard done by rather than adding up all the time they benefited and accepting that the advantageous something has come to its inevitable end.
People often feel hard done by rather than adding up all the time they benefited and accepting that the advantageous something has come to its inevitable end.
There is an ongoing dispute about Lifestyles closing the only access road to the beach for which an ambulance could be brought in.
As for Encuentro, the land owners behind the beach who took action to clear the squatters are saying all the right words in print about leaving access open to the public. Now let us see if those words are real.
As for Encuentro, the land owners behind the beach who took action to clear the squatters are saying all the right words in print about leaving access open to the public. Now let us see if those words are real.
If the access road is to be restricted, I am sure Lifestyles or whoever will post a guard at a gate and should an ambulance need to access the beach via that route, they would be allowed to do so. I don't think the road is going to be ripped up and a mini-putt put there instead.
When you choose to accept visitors to a place, and assuming you wish them to return time and again, these visitors hold all the aces. If they don't feel safe, or they are constantly hassled by those who are "just trying to make a living", they won't come back. Your average tourist coming to the DR is aware that there is a culture here and they don't mind experiencing it for short periods now and again, but they really didn't come here for that. They came to get blotto'd for one all inclusive price and not be pestered or taken advantage of by the locals. Unfortunately this usually means limited local access to those areas where the drunk tourists are flopping about on the sand.
If you base your economy on tourism and wish to profit from tourism, then you bend over backwards to give the tourists what they want. If you wish to keep your country for yourself, you don't invite guests in the millions year round.
When you choose to accept visitors to a place, and assuming you wish them to return time and again, these visitors hold all the aces. If they don't feel safe, or they are constantly hassled by those who are "just trying to make a living", they won't come back. Your average tourist coming to the DR is aware that there is a culture here and they don't mind experiencing it for short periods now and again, but they really didn't come here for that. They came to get blotto'd for one all inclusive price and not be pestered or taken advantage of by the locals. Unfortunately this usually means limited local access to those areas where the drunk tourists are flopping about on the sand.
If you base your economy on tourism and wish to profit from tourism, then you bend over backwards to give the tourists what they want. If you wish to keep your country for yourself, you don't invite guests in the millions year round.
I know we are going slightly off-topic here, but the beach in front of Lifestyles has all but disappeared and access by an ambulance or other vehicle is currently impossible anyway. At the moment, you can still use the small road to access the beach by foot only. All the fear of them privatising the beach there is no longer an issue because the beach is gone! The only way it seems they could have a private beach would be if they imported tons of sand, unless nature suddenly changes its course. Meanwhile, if I were a Lifestyle owner I would be seriously concerned about how close the sea is getting to the development. That 60 metre rule is there for a reason!
The Lifestyle money men don't much care what the sea does. For as long as they can, they will entertain their members to the tune of $100 AI fees/day plus the cost of the accommodations. When that becomes nonviable, Lifestyles will walk away and the owners of the property will decide what to do with the property after that.
Remember, Lifestyles is only the property management entity, they do not own any of the physical infrastructure.
If something is developed at Encuentro, there should be a requirement to ensure that the public can access the beach proper. Usually a dusty narrow trail is all that is necessary but at this point we have no idea what the plans are for that stretch of land by the sea.
Remember, Lifestyles is only the property management entity, they do not own any of the physical infrastructure.
If something is developed at Encuentro, there should be a requirement to ensure that the public can access the beach proper. Usually a dusty narrow trail is all that is necessary but at this point we have no idea what the plans are for that stretch of land by the sea.
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Aldiana which was Sol De Plata which was Breezes on the main highway between Cabarete and Sosua is about to re-open.
Yes ,they do have access.They may have lost it one or 2 days when they were bringing down the surf shacks.
The back road is also opened. Just came back from it by car .
When I was kiting at Encuentro this afternoon ,saw cars parked as well at the place they were surf shacks in the past.
Some were from surfers ,others were from people kiting ...
I saw a report and video on Facebook that shows the road Camino Viejo is open for the public to use Encuentro. Keeping it open has been agreed to by the Mayors of Sosua and Cabarete. So, we will see what that means, and if anything is to be done there, but so far so good on it staying open for surfing.