The Government will be developing a comprehensive beach access and management policy that will enshrine access to beaches for Jamaicans in law.
State Minister in the Water Ministry Ian Hayles made the announcement during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the Parliament yesterday.
There are currently 86 public beaches, 33 of which are managed by the Natural Resources Conservation Authority.
Hayles says the issue of access for ordinary citizens to beaches not managed by the authority has been a matter of concern for coastal communities for some time.
He says the new policy will include goals aimed at providing physical access by the general public to the beach and the sea on a managed basis.
The Beach Control Act, which is the main legislation governing the management and use of beaches, does not provide for the public to have general rights, to access and use the foreshore or the wet part of the sand.
The current law also prohibits access to the floor of the sea.
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