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The Baths and the BVI’s other national parks have never been for sale and never will be, National Parks Trust (NPT) Director Dr Cassander Titley-O’Neal has said.
Titley-O’Neal addressed the claim in a video posted on the Trust’s Facebook page as part of its effort to raise awareness about its work.
“I’ve been asked, is The Baths for sale? The answer is, no. None of our national parks are for sale. They never have been, and they never will be,” she said.
The statement follows a dispute over a proposal that could have given private operators exclusive access to The Baths and Devil’s Bay for specified periods.
Virgin Gorda residents raised concerns that such an arrangement would keep the public out of the parks during those times. Subsequently, Deputy Premier Julian Fraser, the minister responsible for the Trust, directed its board to refrain from entering an agreement until the proposal had been fully reviewed by the Government.
Titley-O’Neal did not address the exclusive access proposal in the video. She focused on the claim that the parks could be sold and explained the Trust’s responsibility for protecting them.
She said the Trust manages 22 national parks across the BVI, including sites of cultural and historical importance. The Baths, she explained, was acquired by the Government through a lengthy compulsory acquisition process that began in 1987 and became a national park in 1992.
“The Baths National Park in no way defines the work of the National Parks Trust,” she said, pointing to its conservation and research across the territory.
She invited residents to follow the Trust’s Facebook page for weekly updates and said the public would be invited to learn more about its work later this year.
Titley-O’Neal addressed the claim in a video posted on the Trust’s Facebook page as part of its effort to raise awareness about its work.
“I’ve been asked, is The Baths for sale? The answer is, no. None of our national parks are for sale. They never have been, and they never will be,” she said.
The statement follows a dispute over a proposal that could have given private operators exclusive access to The Baths and Devil’s Bay for specified periods.
Virgin Gorda residents raised concerns that such an arrangement would keep the public out of the parks during those times. Subsequently, Deputy Premier Julian Fraser, the minister responsible for the Trust, directed its board to refrain from entering an agreement until the proposal had been fully reviewed by the Government.
Titley-O’Neal did not address the exclusive access proposal in the video. She focused on the claim that the parks could be sold and explained the Trust’s responsibility for protecting them.
She said the Trust manages 22 national parks across the BVI, including sites of cultural and historical importance. The Baths, she explained, was acquired by the Government through a lengthy compulsory acquisition process that began in 1987 and became a national park in 1992.
“The Baths National Park in no way defines the work of the National Parks Trust,” she said, pointing to its conservation and research across the territory.
She invited residents to follow the Trust’s Facebook page for weekly updates and said the public would be invited to learn more about its work later this year.
© 2026 BVI Platinum News. This article is original BVI Platinum content. Reproduction or republication without written permission is prohibited.
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