Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he is willing to receive a national beach access petition signed by approximately 4,000 people, while maintaining that he would reject a petition directed against Peace Beach.

Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show on Saturday, Browne distinguished the broader campaign promoted by environmental activist Eli Fuller from a possible petition concerning the beach development he has defended.

“Eli did this thing about beach access, a petition, and I have no difficulty with it,” Browne said.

“Despite our differences, I will receive him at the Office of the Prime Minister to get a petition.”

Browne acknowledged that public access to beaches remained a problem in some areas and said the government needed to improve the situation.

“I’m on public record as saying that we need to do better with the beach access,” he said. “We’re trying to see what we can claw back.”

He identified Mill Reef as one location where access remained unresolved and said he had held brief discussions with Ralph Isham about providing better access.

The aim, Browne said, was to find an arrangement that addressed security concerns while meeting the public’s needs.

He also said the government had intervened to reestablish access at Pearns Point and had recently refused a request from a member of the Rothschild family to close another access route.

Browne did not identify the location of that route but said it was associated with a property being developed at a cost of US$30 million.

The prime minister’s comments came amid public exchanges with Fuller over Peace Beach, where an artificial beach and reef system have been developed.

Browne said he had received information alleging that Fuller took a delegation to Peace Beach and approached nearby entities about supporting a petition against it. However, he acknowledged Fuller’s denial and conceded that the information might have been incorrect.

“He has denied it, with all fairness,” Browne said.

While saying Fuller was free to organize such a petition, Browne maintained his rejection of receiving one concerning Peace Beach.

His remarks left a distinction between his willingness to accept the national beach access petition and his position on a separate campaign against the development.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: PM Browne backs Antigua and Barbuda beach access petition but rejects one targeting Peace Beach.