An opposition senator has called on the Ministry of Public Works to implement a system at Horseshoe Bay for both locals and tourists to equally enjoy the beach.

Dwayne Robinson, the One Bermuda Alliance’s approved candidate for Southampton East Central, made the suggestion after taking numerous complaints from residents unhappy with the treatment of locals by the concessionaire.

In November 2020, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, said that Horseshoe Bay Live would take over the running of the popular beach early in 2021, on a five-year contract.

Yesterday, Mr Robinson told The Royal Gazette that on July 23, he was contacted by residents concerned after they were unable to access some areas.

He added: “They were speaking about how the beach is monopolised by the concession who set up chairs there at the beginning of the day and locals have to basically move them so that they can use the beach.”

Mr Robinson said he lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Public Works.

“I decided to launch a formal complaint strictly on the chair aspect of it because people are saying this is a public beach, and the concessionaire was taking up more than 50 per cent of the prime locations,” he said.

In addition, he said locals complained that they were being forced away from the bathroom and other facilities.

“It is a public beach, so it would have both tourists and locals, so why don’t they set the chairs up as tourists come, instead of presetting?” he said.

He added that the chairs were not always occupied and should be set up as they were required so that half of the beach’s better locations were available to residents.

He added: “Should you need to expand due to demand, then you do that seat by seat.”

Mr Robinson called on the ministry to be more responsive. He added that he had read concerns from a resident in a letter published in the Gazette on Tuesday.

The resident said the Bermuda Volleyball Association was forced to move “an extra quarter of the beach farther down” to make way for inflatables operated by HBL.

Attempts to obtain a comment from HBL yesterday were unsuccessful.

Responding to the concerns raised by Mr Robinson, Colonel Burch said the popularity of the beach would lead to locals being inconvenienced ‒ but that it was “essential to recognise that Horseshoe Bay Beach is a major tourism attraction and a cornerstone of Bermuda's economic activity”.

“As a leading tourism destination, it is natural that visitors will heavily frequent our most popular beach.

“This popularity sometimes inconveniences local residents, which is an unfortunate but inevitable aspect of our tourism-driven economy.”

He said that while the ministry tried to mitigate issues related to beach management, a balance had to be maintained between local needs and the “vital” tourism industry.

On the BVA’s complaint about space, Colonel Burch said the ministry had been proactive in responding.

Colonel Burch said: “After writing to me about their concerns, I personally met with the association three times.

“Before the start of this season, I hosted a meeting with representatives of the BVA, along with HBL and agreed on a way forward for this summer’s activities.

“The association moved some of their games to other beaches to ease the stress at Horseshoe Bay, while both organisations met at Horseshoe Bay and agreed on the layout of the courts.”

He said an arrangement was “successfully” put in place to accommodate the BVA’s needs.

“We have not received any further complaints from them since the start of this year's volleyball season,” he said.

Mr Robinson said that, as the OBA’s representative for Southampton East Central, he was obligated to represent residents and planned to expound on the issue in his capacity as a senator.

In a statement on Thursday, he said the OBA supported opportunities for local businesses.

“However, we must also maintain clear standards of operation.

“Hospitality is meant to be supported by Bermudians and benefit them, not exclude them.”

Colonel Burch responded: “The suggestion that HBL's management negatively impacts local residents while prioritising tourists does not consider the broader economic context or the measures we have in place to balance interests.”

Colonel Burch said HBL was awarded the contract to manage Horseshoe Bay Beach following standard procedure.

“However, like all our leaseholders, they were impacted by the unprecedented disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As a result, their provision of plans for the site was delayed and we have been working with them to bring them to fruition.”

On Thursday, Mr Robinson said: “If Horseshoe Bay Live is not working with Bermudians or local associations who share the space with tourists, it may be time to consider the other concession bidders.”

However, Colonel Burch said this would be unrealistic.

“Critics suggesting that we should simply discard HBL and award the contract to the runner-up bidder misunderstand how contractual obligations work,” he added.

“Terminating the contract and starting a new tender process would be impractical and inefficient, especially given the ongoing and constructive negotiations and discussions with HBL.”