The Anguilla House of Assembly has authorised the compulsory acquisition of land in Tanglewood to allow for the expansion of the Clayton J Lloyd International Airport runway.
A motion, approved on 26 February, authorises Governor Julia Crouch, acting with the Executive Council, to formally declare the 88.61 acres as required for “a public purpose”.
This will enable the acquisition process to begin immediately in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act, which provides the legal framework for compulsory purchase of private land for public purposes.
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The parcels of land include three owned by Conch Bay Development Ltd measuring 43.5 acres, 16 acres, and 21 acres, and one 8.11-acre parcel registered to Bernice Lake.
Read the motion in full here.
A ‘tumultuous journey’
Lands minister Kyle Hodge presented the motion, after which infrastructure minister José Vanterpool rose to offer his support, saying the runway extension has been “a long and somewhat tumultuous journey”.
“I’m grateful to be able to stand here and support, to see that we have at least gotten to this point where we’re now seeing the light and being able to move forward,” he added.
Vanterpool told the assembly that airport development has been a focus of multiple past administrations, and on occasion resulted in expensive legal challenges.
“So this administration has been very careful in making sure that we followed the due process. We have dotted every I crossed every T, as per the guidelines of the Land Acquisition Act,” he said.
Evans McNiel Rogers, senior ministerial advisor in the Ministry of Health, also rose in support of the motion, saying the improvement of ports is vital to the public.
“In order to improve and to increase the tentacles of our tourism industry, we must be able to bring in larger aircrafts – the length of the runway is part and parcel of that,” he said.
‘An important step’
Culture minister Shellya Rogers-Webster, also speaking in support of the motion, said her experience in the airport development made her decision easy.
“As someone who has sat with multiple airline companies and had different discussions with them on different levels, I understand the importance of the runway extension,” she said.
“I believe that this is an important step in the process of ensuring that generally, the island has a fit-for-purpose airport facility that is in line with the tourism expansion and the appetite that exists globally.”
Tourism minister Cardigan Connor added his support, saying: “We need that extension on the runway. There’s no point knowing that something is beautiful somewhere, but you can’t get to it.”
Opposition member Haydn Hughes spoke for over half an hour on the political history of Anguilla and the airport development, concluding with his support for the motion.
“I am happy to see that the members of the government, who was the opposition who was very critical, are now moving quickly ahead to develop this,” he said.
A process
Wrapping up, Hodge said the acquisition of land is vital to the continued expansion and development of the airport.
“An expansion cannot come unless we extend the length of the runway and extending the length of the runway, unfortunately or fortunately, requires land – land that the government does not have,” he said.
He added: “We recognise that we have to go through a process in order to make it seamless, in order to make it fair, and this is why we are here today.”
He described the acquisition process as “a tough one” and “a long one”, adding: “It is a process that will be continued to be meticulously followed to ensure that we treat land owners fair.
The lands minister said the landowners had only recently received a valuation for their property and that negotiations over the final settlement are ongoing.
The motion was moved unanimously.
Airport Masterplan
The newly opened terminal and extended runway are part of an EC$473 million project as envisioned in the government’s Airport Masterplan 2022-2041.
The plan explains that lengthening the runway is required for current commercial airlines to operate with maximum loads and to allow Anguilla to attract new operators with larger aircraft.
It will also mean the island will meet regulatory compliance and reduce its dependence on St Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport as a connecting hub, the plan says.
The aim is to extend the runway to the east from 5,000 to 6,787.5 feet (2,068.8 metres) – which equates to a 6,000ft (1,829m) take-off length – as well as widening it from 98.5ft (30m) to 148ft (45m).
This will allow it to accommodate the A220-300, EMB 175/190, A319 and similar aircraft up to about 120-seats.
