The Government of the Virgin Islands will be hosting discussions on its Crown Land Policy as it seeks to ensure that the public is aware of its content.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment Natural Resources Mr. Ronald Smith-Berkeley, and members of the Crowns Land Unit will engage in discussions on the policy utilising the various platforms including the Department of Information and Public Relation programme Public Eye, ZBVI’s Umoja radio programme, JTV’s the Big Story and 284 Media.

Mr. Smith-Berkeley said that it is the mandate of the Government of the Virgin Islands to have this policy extensively discussed with the purpose of sensitising the community, as well as keeping persons informed about Government decisions. 

Mr. Smith-Berkeley said, “This policy should be the concern of every Virgin Islander; it is important that everyone gets involved in the public discussions regarding this very important matter. We are eager to listen to your suggestions, and so we encourage you to give us your feedback, and let your individual and collective opinions be part of the final document which will be forwarded to Cabinet for final approval.”

According to the Permanent Secretary, the policy also details the history of Crown Lands, an essential part of the Virgin Islands past and touches on other topics such as the first time homeownership programme, lease of commercial and agricultural land, and Crown Land application criteria.

The Virgin Islands Crown Land Policy can be found on the Government’s portal at bvi.gov.vg. Persons will also be able to scan posters with the QR codes at the various supermarkets, Government offices and other public spaces to access the policy.

The Virgin Islands Crown Land Policy governs the administration management, development and use of all Crown land for all purposes, and focuses on strengthening the transparent administration and management of Crown land, including disposal of the same.  This Policy does not address matters concerning private land.