Deconstruct a Community:

Wk. 1

“Carrot Bay”
Tortola
BVI

Samuel Jones
CM543.95
Overview.

In order to sensitize you to Carrot Bay, or the British Virgin Islands as a whole, I’ll give a
brief synopsis. I grew up in this village so I have a pretty good idea of the changes it has
undergone. Of all the villages in the BVI, Carrot Bay has always been classified as a
farming/fishing village. As with most the villages, its costal location sits at the foot of the central
mountain range of Sage Mountain. Its location on the northwestern coast allows it to have rich,
fertile soil, which is the key to its farming reputation. Being a coastal village, its accessibility to
the Caribbean Sea provides a livelihood for many fishermen. Although the influence of the
western world has entwined itself with BVI culture, Carrot Bay has somehow managed to
maintain its farming and fishing traditions. Most of this is due to the importance that the locals
have placed on its historical and cultural preservation. These priorities are the secrets behind its
ability to have maintained its traditional Fishing/Farming heritage. Although there are several
plans to improve the area, all are forced to first communicate with the locals in order to get a feel
for where their values lie and how they would like to see their village (City) develop to support
its changing trends while maintaining its authenticity.

Carrot Bay of the Future

“Carrot Bay Faced with Future Plans”

“Residents debate a new look for community “
http://bviguides.com/Domains/bvipropertyguide/editorial/carrot_bays_plans.html

Above is the caption and link to an article in the “VI Property Yacht Magazine” - An article that
clearly highlights the issues that affect the development and improvement of this historically
traditional village (City). Locally Carrot Bay has a semi-formal committee, “The Carrot Bay
Development Committee” (CBDC), that addresses any major issue that affects the development
of the city’s facilities and services, and or its infrastructure. Although the committee cannot
solely finalize any decision, it has a strong influence on the decision-makers, seeing that
committee members also represent a cross section of the community.

The structure of the decision-making system is, of course, somewhat political in nature. To begin
a brief synopsis of the country’s governance, firstly, the country is a British dependent territory
and therefore its political leadership is broken down into nine districts, each of which are
represented by separate District Representative (Senators in the US) of government. Carrot Bay
is the first of nine districts. It is the usual practice for the Minister of each district to champion
the development of his or her district. The word ‘usually’ is utilized as this is not always the
case.

In addition to the nine districts and respective representatives, there are also
Ministries/Departments which are governed by elected members of the ruling political party,
which at times overlap with district representatives. Under the Ministry of Finance, which is run
by the Premier, is the “Town and Country Planning Department”. This department is responsible
for approving development proposals for the country and to ensure the territory’s overall, orderly
and sustainable development. As the article above alluded to, they are also responsible for
preparing development plans to serve as guidance for the entire territory. All development plans
of property, whether private or public, have to be submitted to this department for review and
approval.

At the local level, the Town and Country Department usually has several informal town meetings
to discuss any development submitted privately if it affects the general public community. The
issues are discussed in order to get the input of the community and their ideas and suggestions
taken into consideration. The final decision is usually made by the Premier. However, if it
requires additional discussion it is brought to the house of Assembly where all the current
ministers of the government, including the members of the opposing Government (opposition),
can have an opportunity to comment and then finally vote on a decision for or against the
development.

The issue of infrastructure planning can be very easily politically-motivated, especially in

community as small as Carrot Bay. As this exercise continues, it will be interesting to see how
extensive that political grip is.

I Play the Politician’s Platform card. It seems as if the issue of infrastructure

only comes up when there is an upcoming general election.