Advocates want Fort Rocky development halted

An advocacy group that calls itself Citizens Rights to the City (CRC) has condemned the destruction of natural and historic elements within the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area.

The group, which includes disaster risk reduction advocate Dr Barbara Carby and environmentalist Diana McCaulay, has called on the Government to take urgent action to restore the site and halt further degradation.

The Government has positioned Fort Rocky as a major venue in the Port Royal Entertainment Zone. The venue is set to host Good Times, a throwback party on March 15. However, CRC and residents of Port Royal have expressed grave concern that the removal of dunes, mangroves, and other vegetation in the area.

"The dunes, mangroves, and other vegetation provide a natural defence against storm surge, high wave action, and sea level rise. Removing them endangers the protected area and access to the Port Royal community," CRC stated in a media release.

The group has called for a halt and re-examination of the decision to host large entertainment events at Fort Rocky. The CRC noted that it is a protected, ecologically and historically sensitive area.

The advocates also called for the "full restoration of dunes and vegetation as an urgent requirement before the hurricane season and in anticipation of ongoing sea level rise, which, good sense dictates, must be mitigated".

Last week, residents of Port Royal told THE STAR that they fear devastation as a result of the stripping away of mangroves and dunes that could leave the community open to storm surges.

"Nothing will be able to come in, nothing will be able to go out," one resident said.