KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is urging property owners impacted by beach erosion to make contact with the authority before attempting any personal solution.

According to NEPA, failure to follow the directive may result in property owners being served with enforcement notices.

Director for Environmental Management and Conservation at NEPA, Anthony McKenzie issued the caution at a community meeting at Oswald’s restaurant, Alligator Pond, in Manchester on Friday, August 22.

“Contact NEPA and we’ll discuss a solution to the problem, which might require an engineered physical structure. So we’d want to discuss with them first and if the solution requires a soft or hard engineering solution then they would apply, get the necessary approvals and proceed,” he said.

McKenzie was speaking against the background of an enforcement notice served by NEPA on a property owner in Alligator Pond, St Elizabeth who erected a beach erosion solution without the requisite licence so to do.

He said that subsequent to the serving of the Alligator Pond notice, a community meeting was held to discuss with the residents the need for obtaining a license.

“Having served the notice we’d expect to get a response from them within the timeframe specified. They can appeal the notice, remove the structures or write to us with some explanation and all of that will be considered as part of the process,” McKenzie said.