LUCEA, Hanover — Armed with legal guidance, Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels believes the Hanover Municipal Corporation has a clear path to resolving an ongoing access dispute at the popular Orchard Beach in Hopewell.

“I think we have good grounds on which we can approach this alongside the lawyer and the CEO… we can sit down and work it out,” Samuels stated during Thursday’s monthly general meeting of the corporation.

The site, frequently referred to as Old Steamer Beach, is officially held by the municipal corporation, though its ownership has faced competing private claims. Despite the corporation’s title, private interests have attempted to fence off sections of the shoreline. A fencing attempt earlier this year sparked protests from residents and forced municipal intervention.

The corporation’s Chief Engineering Officer Saad Campbell on Thursday steered the mayor to a potential solution. Although Campbell officially assumed his post in Hanover on September 1, 2026, following a transfer from St Ann, he cited personal familiarity with the area as he referenced a potential legal remedy.

“I had a similar situation in another experience and there is [a] provision under the Prescription Act that if access has been given to the public for a period [of] 20 years, then at no point — even if they are the rightful owners — can they restrict access to the property or the beach,” stated Campbell.

Orchard Beach, to the left of a section of the Northern Coastal Highway in Hopewell, Hanover, with abandoned fencing columns in the foreground (Photos: Anthony Lewis)

While private claimants maintain they possess title for the property, Campbell explained that, under the Act, public rights supersede private claims when long-standing use is established.

“I haven’t had the chance to verify that information [of private ownership]. But I know, notwithstanding that, the Prescription Act will take precedence. I’ve been passing there [Orchard] for the last 17 years now. I know that the public has always been given access to that facility or that area,” said Campbell.

“So at no point can they restrict them with any fence or anything that I guess can give them the claim to say this part is theirs,” he added.

The dispute is taking place amid heightened national debate over coastal access in Jamaica.

Earlier this week the Supreme Court granted an injunction that temporarily prevents the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) from evicting shop operators at Jacob Taylor Beach in Trelawny.

Chairman of the NRCA Christopher Whyms-Stone said the quit notices were served on vendors occupying the beach illegally and were intended to address an outstanding occupancy and tenancy matter and to allow the property to be brought under a lawful, orderly and properly managed framework.

He said the move is in keeping with the original intent for the beach when it was rehabilitated in 2003 to operate as a model public beach that was well-maintained, environmentally responsible and freely accessible.

The injunction will remain in place until October 6, when the Supreme Court is set to hear the application for judicial review of the eviction notices.

However, in Hanover, the core conflict centres specifically on unauthorised private fencing which blocks public leisure spaces.

“I know there’s a big thing about beach access and all of that. However, the Prescription Act does allow for us to say they can’t restrict, they can’t close it off, they can’t enclose it or prevent access to the public,” argued Mayor Campbell.