Over 270 Anegada Land Applications Declared Invalid
More than 270 land applications on Anegada were declared null and void in 2024 following document notarisation disputes, according to former committee chairman Darrell Ruan Jr. Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley subsequently intervened, granting an extension that allowed around 65 files to be corrected. The remaining applications are slated for review under the newly established Crown Land Advisory Board.
More than 270 land applications on Anegada were declared null and void in 2024 and subsequently rejected by the Ministry of Natural Resources, according to Darrell Ruan Jr., former Chairman of the Anegada Land Development Advisory Committee. Speaking on a recent broadcast with host Claude Skelton Cline, Ruan explained that the advisory committee had processed 277 applications during its tenure.
However, the process encountered severe procedural hurdles surrounding a requirement that applicants' vital records—including birth, marriage, and death certificates used to establish land eligibility—be notarised. Ruan stated that the committee initially submitted the applications without notarisation after receiving legal advice indicating that certified vital records were incapable of being notarised.
The Ministry of Natural Resources rejected that approach and returned the files, instructing the committee to ensure all vital documents were notarised. Although the committee complied and resubmitted the package, Ruan said members were informed during an April 2024 meeting that all 277 applications had been deemed invalid and declared null and void.
Natalio Wheatley intervened and requested that the committee assist in rectifying the files, even though its formal tenure had expired. The committee was granted a three-month extension, during which members managed to correct and resubmit approximately 65 applications. Those corrected submissions could not proceed immediately, as they must now be reviewed by the newly formed Crown Land Advisory Board.
The disclosure comes amid longstanding community frustration over protracted delays in distributing Crown land and issuing land deeds to Anegadians. Premier Wheatley previously assured the public that applicants would not be forced to restart the process following the enactment of the Crown Land Management Act.
He indicated that existing files would undergo review to ensure compliance with statutory governance standards once the oversight board became fully functional. Ruan noted that the ministry recently reached out to prospective members regarding the reconstituted Anegada Standing Committee.
He expressed hope that the standing committee, the Crown Land Advisory Board, and the ministry will now work together to advance the remaining outstanding applications.
Primary source: BVI News