PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Chief public health officer for Portland Lorenzo Hume has raised concerns about the sanitation facilities at the popular Winnifred Beach in the parish.

Addressing the regular monthly meeting of Portland Municipal Corporation last Thursday, Hume pointed out that people gravitate to the parish because of its attractions.

““You don’’t go anywhere where people don’’t tell you that Portland is the most beautiful place in Jamaica, and we also want the best facility for the most beautiful place in Jamaica. We inspected Winnifred Beach and we found breaches; three entities met the minimum requirement for public health standards [while] some are trying to work through it.

“But Mr Chairman, the sanitary facility [at Winnifred Beach] leaves a lot to be desired and therefore it is time enough that we move forward to have the sanitary facility, or the general development of Winnifred Beach, to meet the…public health standard,” said Hume.

Plans for the development of the beach by Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) have been rejected by residents, who fear this is part of a plan to privatise the facility.

TEF has proposed that it will assist with the construction of a parking lot, bathroom facilities and shops, among a number of things at the beach which is operated by Urban Development Corporation.

But vendors at the beach and residents of the area have expressed fear that the planned development will deny them the access they now enjoy at what is one of Jamaica’s top public beaches.