Walters questions bid to acquire Savvy on the Bay land

Opposition Senator Ryan Walters accused the government of unfairly targeting a small business through its plan to acquire land next to Savvy on the Bay, arguing that the move appears unnecessary and unfairly targets an existing business.

During Senate debate on the Tourism Levy (Amendment) Bill, Senator Walters commented on formal notices published in the media last week regarding the acquisition of the nearby car park, which has sparked concern among small business operators at Savvy on the Bay.

In response to the public reaction, Minister of Housing and Lands Christopher Gibbs insisted that business owners had no cause for alarm.

“We do not want anyone to be alarmed by the process,” Gibbs said. “Small business owners operating from Savvy on the Bay have nothing to be worried about and can expect proper access and facilities at the end of this process. Our aim as a government is to encourage entrepreneurship, not to shut down businesses.”

But Senator Walters told lawmakers that his own experiences at the popular Bay Street location contradicted the narrative that access or public use was somehow restricted.

He said: “I have been to Savvy on the Bay numerous times. I parked either on the property or opposite. I walked to the beach and nobody stopped me. There was nothing prohibiting me from getting sand between my toes.”

Senator Walters recounted freely accessing the beach with his family, purchasing beach chairs and umbrellas, and patronising the bar without interference. “Nobody came and told us you got to leave, that this is private property.”

The opposition senator questioned what he described as the government’s fixation on the site, particularly given the availability of other parcels of land along the same stretch of Bay Street.

“What is this fascination that the government has with Savvy on the Bay?” Senator Walters asked, noting that officials had sought to downplay the impact on businesses by saying the issue centred mainly on the car park.

“If they want car space, you just got to walk that stretch of land on Bay Street,” he said, pointing to other underutilised properties in close proximity, including the former Mobil service station and the old fish market.

“A stone’s throw away is ripe for development. Why doesn’t the government target that as a project?” he asked, also referencing vacant lands further south where “nothing is going on”.

Senator Walters argued that targeting a plot already supporting an active business made little sense, particularly at a time when entrepreneurship was being publicly encouraged.

“It boggles the mind, not only of those who earn a living and a livelihood from it, but those of us who are watching and looking on,” he said.