Bureaucracy Stalled Crown Land Board
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley says government bureaucracy caused months-long delays in making the Crown Lands board fully operational, slowing resolution of long-standing land issues including Anegada. Cabinet approved board members in October 2025, but the chairman only came before the House of Assembly for approval in May 2026.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has directly blamed government bureaucracy for months of delays in establishing the Crown Lands board, a setback that has held up progress on several outstanding land matters — most notably the long-running distribution of lands in Anegada. Speaking in the House of Assembly during debate on the appointment of the board’s chairman, Wheatley said Cabinet first approved members in October 2025 but the appointment process took until May 2026 to produce an affirmative resolution on the chair. "Cabinet first appointed members of the Crown Land Board in October, and I’m not quite sure why it took us so long," he said. "Unfortunately, we are still subjected to a level of bureaucracy that allows things to take way too long.
This should not have taken so long to get here." The delay meant the board could not become fully operational and has slowed the government’s ability to address several Crown land matters. Deputy Premier Julian Fraser, who moved the resolution in the House, also noted the membership was submitted to Cabinet in October and only completed months later, contributing to the backlog on decisions affecting Anegada residents.
The Crown Lands Management Act, which came into force in 2024, created a new governance framework for management and allocation of Crown lands. Under the new arrangements, the board’s chairman must receive approval from the House of Assembly before the body can function fully — a step that only recently reached the chamber.
Wheatley said the establishment of the board represents an important step toward resolving the long-standing Anegada issue and reassured residents they would not be required to restart the land allocation process. "I have been speaking and advocating on their behalf and encouraging those responsible for moving this along to move it along," he said, adding that he and other government members have been "fighting through the bureaucracy to make it happen." The Premier urged the administration to complete the remaining stages without further delay. "We don't want the next step to take another six months.
We have to get this done ASAP with urgency, with expediency. We have to move forward so we can make some distributions of land," he said. For BVI residents, a functioning Crown Lands board should speed up allocations, clear outstanding title and occupancy issues, and help bring greater certainty to communities such as Anegada that have waited years for resolution.
The government now faces pressure to turn the recent appointment into prompt, tangible outcomes on the ground.
Primary source: BVI News