PM Browne Says Barbudans Free to Accept or Reject Land Titles for $1

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government will move ahead with the sale and registration of land in Barbuda, including a plan to allow eligible Barbudans to obtain up to one acre for a nominal fee of $1 under a new land registry system.

Speaking on Pointe FM on Saturday, Browne said the long-discussed issue of land ownership in Barbuda is now entering a new phase with the establishment of a Barbuda section within the national land registry.

“Within a matter of months we’ll be selling land in Barbuda,” Browne said. “The Barbudans get it for one dollar, and even Antiguans as well will be able to buy land in Barbuda.”

The Prime Minister said the symbolic $1 payment is intended as a legal consideration rather than a commercial price.

“The dollar is like a gift,” Browne said. “The dollar is just a legal consideration that is required. So it’s like we’re giving up to one acre.”

According to Browne, the arrangement is being designed primarily for Barbudans who were living on the island around the time Hurricane Irma struck in 2017 and who have continued residing there since.

“We’re talking about those who’ve been living in Barbuda,” he said, noting that the government intends to establish eligibility criteria to prevent abuse of the programme.

Browne said Barbudans who do not wish to obtain freehold ownership will still have the option of leasehold arrangements or no formal title at all.

“Our position is those who do not want to have freehold, you can get leasehold,” he said. “If you want neither freehold nor leasehold, that’s your choice.”

The Prime Minister stressed that existing homeowners in Barbuda would not lose their properties under the new system.

“We’re not taking anything from anybody,” Browne said.

He said the first phase of the initiative will focus on the Louis Hill area, where approximately 115 acres have already been earmarked for development and parcelization.

Browne also confirmed that Antiguans and Barbudans outside the special category would still be able to purchase land in Barbuda, but at commercial rates.

“When we sell to Antiguans, they’ll have to pay the commercial value,” he said.

The Prime Minister defended the initiative as part of a modernization process aimed at formalizing land ownership and administration in Barbuda while empowering residents with legal title documents.

“What we’re seeking to do here is to empower the Barbudans,” Browne said. “They will have a formal legal document to say that they either have a lease or they have freehold title to land in Barbuda.”

Browne maintained that the government has the legal authority to proceed with land sales and leases in Barbuda, citing rulings by the Privy Council on the issue.

“The land was never vested in any individual in Barbuda or collectively,” he said. “It was always vested in the Crown.”

He added that the government does not intend to sell large tracts of land to foreigners and said major developments such as those operated by PLH would continue under leasehold arrangements.

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