Vehicles work on the construction of the
Eden Rock Resort on the south end of Ramlet al Bayda beach, in Beirut,
Lebanon, November 20, 2016. Sally Hayde/Thomson Reuters Foundation via

REUTERS

Security forces stand guard at the Eden
Rock Resort construction site at the south end of Ramlet al Bayda beach,
Beirut, Lebanon, November 26, 2016. Sally Hayde/Thomson Reuters
Foundation via

REUTERS

BEIRUT
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Construction of a new luxury resort on
Beirut’s waterfront could enclose the city’s last free public beach,
leaving only wealthy residents who can afford lofty daily fees to enjoy
the Mediterranean shore.

The
battle for Ramlet al-Baida beach on the Lebanese capital’s highly
developed shoreline is at the center of the latest conflict between
residents and municipal authorities.

It
follows tensions last year over the closure of urban landfills and the
continuing accumulation of garbage on the city’s peripheries.

Locals say Beirut could become the
first Mediterranean city without a beach open to the public after
developer, Achour Development, began building its Eden Bay resort,
scheduled to open in 2018.

During the most recent protest at the building site last weekend, protesters were met with a heavy police presence.

“People
have become numb,” said Bana Kadi, a demonstrator from Beirut. “It’s
terrible. The beach belongs to the public and belongs to the people,
which is the way it should be legally.”

Kadi
said Beirut’s coastline and beaches are already polluted by sewage and
it was often impossible for residents to swim safely.

“Now
we can’t even enjoy the shore because there are no public spaces, and a
city without public spaces is a city that becomes suffocated and
eventually dies.”

The
development will cover around 5,000 square meters – larger than an
average football field – on the southern end of the beach. Achour
Development’s website describes it as a “prime spot on the seafront that
ensures that bustling city life remains outside the gated community”.

Many
resorts built on Beirut’s predominantly high-rise waterfront charge up
to $20 a day for access to beaches and facilities. The cheapest day
rate is $10.

“We all grew up playing football on Ramlet al-Baida or just coming here to swim,” said Elias, who did not give his surname.

“It’s
not first time that the public beach has been taken for investments,”
he said. “I think it’s important that we don’t let it happen again and
again.”

CITIZEN PROTEST

Residents
and grassroots organizations have led several protests in recent months
to highlight the loss of public open spaces, parks and beaches in
Beirut.

In the May
municipal elections, a grassroots group, Beirut Madinati (Beirut My
City) campaigned strongly on protection of local parks, public amenities
and services.

The group
also campaigned for the protection and preservation of Ramlet al-Baida
beach as public property for all, citing an order issued in 1925 which
states that beaches cannot be bought or sold.

Achour Development directed the Thomson Reuters Foundation to the company lawyer who did not respond to requests for comment.

Construction
on the south end of the beach was approved by Beirut’s governor Ziad
Chebib in September. The area is now patrolled by police and blocked to
the public.

The construction area takes up a section of the south end of the beach, though the main expanse is so far untouched.

The
municipal government issued a statement on Nov. 15 stating the land
earmarked for the resort had always been deemed private and that the
remaining beach would not be encroached on.

The building site was located “outside the premises of the public beach and more than 300 meters south of it”, it said.

CITY PRESSURES

Many joining protests
over the beach development said they had also taken part in last year’s
garbage protests. They said poor public services and over-development
were symptomatic of a dysfunctional political system.

Parts
of Beirut face daily power cuts, they said, as the city is unable to
generate enough electricity for its population of more than one million,
while the crisis over trash services has yet to be resolved.

Lebanon
has just emerged from a 29-month period of political instability.
Michel Aoun was elected president by parliament in October, ending a
political stalemate that had left the post empty for more than two
years.

The nation’s infrastructure has also been overwhelmed by the arrival of more than one million Syrian refugees.

Uncertainty over the interpretation
of laws governing public land has added to confusion over the future of
the beach at Ramlet al-Baida, lawyers say.

In
Lebanon, any coastal area touched by waves is deemed public land
although arguments over the detail of this are long running, they say.

“It’s
the general problem of public spaces. Drive up the whole coast and you
can see there’s a violation of the coast law; there are already hotels
that are constructed on the beach,” Marwan Maalouf, a lawyer, said.

Maalouf
said activists are building a legal case against the new beach
development, which will include aerial photos showing that the
blocked-off area was once on the shoreline.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Other activists
involved in the anti-development campaign say their biggest concern is
the environmental impact of the proposed resort.

Rima
Tarabay, vice-president of environmental campaign group, Bahr Loubnan
(See Lebanon), said the loss of sands would lead to damaging erosion.

Tarabay fears what she described as “ecocide: killing ourselves, not by bombs and by war and by creating pollution”.

Demonstrator
Kadi said many residents had local business interests and would be
reticent about speaking out against the privatization of public spaces
and beaches.

“The average citizen is being very much hurt by what’s happening yet he’s also concerned with keeping food on the table.”

Beirut governor Ziad Chebib did not respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Sally Hayden, editing by Paola Totaro and Jo Griffin;
Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of
Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights,
trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)