The Barbuda Council is pushing back against what it describes as ongoing efforts by the central government to establish freehold land ownership and facilitate land sales on the island.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Council criticized recent reports regarding Cabinet’s approval of a plan to create a land registry in Antigua and begin registering land in Barbuda. The Council argued that similar announcements have been made over several years and are intended to encourage investment in what it called a non-existent luxury real estate market on the island.

The Council also objected to what it described as attempts by the Gaston Browne administration to use existing legislation to register and sell land in Barbuda without the Council’s consent.

“The People’s land will not be accepted or allowed” to be unilaterally registered and sold, the statement said.

Council officials noted that the matter remains before the courts. According to the release, a court hearing was scheduled for June 9, with another hearing expected on June 11.

The Council urged Barbudans to remain vigilant and avoid actions it says could undermine their rights to communal land ownership.

It further maintained that the Barbuda Local Government Act, which is entrenched in the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, grants the Council responsibility for administering the island.

The statement concluded with a declaration that “Barbuda’s Lands are NOT for Sale.”