by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Premier of Nevis, Mark Brantley, confirmed that a meeting was held on Tuesday, October 07, 2025, between the Nevis Island Administration, the Bankers Association and the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, to discuss the highly debated Special Sustainability Zone (SSZ) Authorisation Bill 2025.
The gathering, which had over 40 attendees, lasted a few hours.
According to the Premier, he outlined steps leading to the passage of the Bill, explaining that it underwent the customary first, second and third readings in the National Assembly of St. Kitts and Nevis. He also sought to address other concerns raised about land acquisition and whether the government had signed an agreement before advising the public.
“For example, one person alleged that the SSZ bill was passed for a second and third reading in one sitting. That was false, and so we were able to correct that and to indicate that the SSZ legislation was introduced for the first reading in July, and then came back for the second and third reading on the 11th of August. One other gentleman said that he thought that the government had already signed an agreement, and that we were advising people off after the fact. That too is false. I made it pellucid that my cabinet has been locked in negotiations on various aspects of the proposed agreement, and that no agreement has been signed as yet, and so again, we need to clear up these ongoing misleading statements that are out there. I reiterated the fact that the lands at issue are private lands and that the developers are engaged in negotiations with private landowners. The developers have said that they are buying lands for those who want to sell, and for those who do not want to sell, they are apparently swapping lands. That is, they are purchasing lands in other parts of the island and exchanging those lands for those who have lands in the target area. Therefore, what that means is that those people will not be left without lands; they will simply have lands in a different part of the island.”
The government intends to extend its consultations to a wide cross-section of the public. Brantley explained that the initiative is designed to provide accurate information, dispel misconceptions and allow the public to ask questions directly about the development.
“It is our opinion, and based on the feedback that we got from the business community, a very positive engagement where they’re left with actual hard information for the first time about the development and what the development is about. We have extended an invitation, that is the cabinet, to the opposition in the Nevis Island Assembly, the Honourable Cleone Stapleton Simmons and the Honourable Dr Janice Daniel-Hodge. They are the opposition in the Nevis Island Assembly, and we have extended a formal invitation to them to meet with us on Friday, that is to meet with the cabinet on Friday, to brief them in terms of the project. We then intend next week, to meet with the churches on the island. I believe the invitation has gone out to the Evangelical Association, the Christian Council, and our brothers and sisters in the Seventh-day Adventist faith. We also intend to meet with tourism stakeholders, our hoteliers, our taxi operators. We intend to meet with our young people. We intend to meet with our police and fire services, and we also intend to have a broader island-wide general town hall meeting. Put differently, we are hoping to cover almost everyone on this island and to have the opportunity to engage with those who wish to have accurate information about what is proposed.”
Speaking to an ‘On The Mark’ audience on October 08, 2025, Brantley shared the developers’ intentions to inform residents and citizens of the plans ahead, as they seek to give a clearer understanding of the scope and vision of the proposed development, which has garnered much public interest.
“I am told by the developers that they will shortly be releasing information to the public, when I say shortly, within a matter of days, and so when they do that, the public will have a first look at what this project is going to look like, what benefits are anticipated to the government and to the people of Nevis, and how this project is intended to proceed.”
Additionally, the Premier of Nevis revealed that the government and the developers will be working hand in hand on projects related to health and infrastructure. The collaborative efforts, he said, are aimed at ensuring that the benefits extend beyond the zone and into the wider country.
“The project, I’m advised, will be done in phases, and there are some aspects which will be done jointly with the government and people of Nevis. What I mean by that is that there are some developments in health, some developments in infrastructure, which will be done by way of improving our existing infrastructure, and what that then will mean is that we, the people of Nevis, will benefit in a tangible way by having that improved infrastructure available to us and available to our children and their children for generations to come. This is a dynamic process.”
While acknowledging the opposing views and pushback surrounding the Special Sustainability Zone, Premier Brantley reiterated that his government remains committed to transparency, dialogue and the truth.
“So, a lot is happening, ladies and gentlemen. I am here, and will be here, and my team will be here to break things down. One thing you can be certain of is that when I speak to you, the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, I speak to you factually. Some of you may not like me. Some of you may not like my politics, but one thing I can assure you of, I will speak to you with the facts, the truth, the hard truth, nothing but the truth. That is what we bring. So I can’t respond to every rumour, and every allegation, and every innuendo. Every day, there is something new. That is not my job. At the end of the day, our people will be able to sift the wheat from the chaff. You will be able to determine what is true and what is not true.”
