As dozens of North Sound residents packed into the classroom at Robinson O’Neal Memorial Primary School, Brodrick Penn asked them to envision a blank slate. And he wasn’t referring to the blackboard behind him, but to the centre of a map of the Gun Creek area projected upon it.

Starting from his right, he motioned to Walford Farrington’s docks, and then pointed out “a lot of empty land,” the Owen Harrigan Visitor Centre, a cluster of mangroves, a parking area and two boat yards.

“Effectively, we’re really looking at a blank slate right now,” Mr. Penn, the deputy secretary in the Premier’s Office, said at the April 10 public meeting to discuss Gun Creek’s future. “That’s why we feel it’s really important for you to be here to give us your views on how we can transform this blank slate into something more beneficial for the residents of Virgin Gorda.”

But several attendees remained sceptical.

“My question is what’s the vehicle for everybody to benefit?” a businessman asked. “What’s the next step in order for everybody to contribute in a meaningful way so that the dollars from this thing really go into the pockets of the people?”

Another attendee expressed fears that Gun Creek is too small for substantial development and advised that new buildings be spread out in the wider area.

“If it’s limited to that space I think it’s going to become a congested and unattractive entity,” she said.

 

See the April 18, 2013 edition for full coverage.

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