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On May 17, in the wedding hall of the Collectivité hotel, the first vice-president of the Guadeloupe Departmental Council, Jean-Philippe Courtois, and the president of the Territorial Collectivité of Saint-Barthélemy, Xavier Lédée, signed an agreement for the transfer and regularization of a series of plots and parcels of land. This signature was nothing more than another step in a process of retrocession that had been underway for many years under previous administrations. On Tuesday, January 6, the official document confirming the retrocession of approximately 90,000 square meters of land and plots was signed at the Collectivité building in Pointe. This final step was made public on social media by Xavier Lédée. He did so by posting on the page dedicated to the president's news, but, surprisingly, not on that of the local government.
In this message addressed to his online "followers," the president emphasized that the official deed of transfer was signed jointly by himself and Sabrina Robin, vice president of the Guadeloupe Departmental Council. Xavier Lédée insists that the signature concerns "several strategic plots" and cites those of the airport, the Tourmente viewpoint, and the Collectivité hotel. "For an estimated value of more than €71.8 million," adds the elected official.
To be more precise, nine plots are included in the transfer agreement. The list therefore includes those on which the Collectivité hotel (AL 292, 3,352 m²) and the airport runway (AI 138, 40,687 m²), three others bordering the Saint-Jean à la Tourmente airport (AK 399, 400, and 401 for more than 34,000 m²), as well as the following: AL 296 in Gustavia (227 m²), AI 538 (5,463 m²), 540 (1,094 m²) and 126 (2,690 m²) in Saint-Jean. In his publication, President Lédée comments: "This achievement is the result of the hard work carried out every day with seriousness, rigor, and consistency by the Collectivity's agents, particularly those in charge of land affairs."
Criticized "self-congratulation"
While the formalization of the retrocessions had to be made public, the method of communication chosen by the president was sharply criticized by the Action-Équilibre group. "Seven months later, still the same announcements," wrote the group, formerly allied with Xavier Lédée's, online on January 8. "Seven months ago, Xavier Lédée posed for the photo, pen in hand, proclaiming loud and clear that 'it's signed' and that the Collectivité was finally taking possession of 90,000 m² of land belonging—in theory—to Saint Barthélemy since... 2007," the publication states. Today, there is a new publication, new photos, and the same self-congratulation. But who are we kidding? This transfer is not the result of a heroic struggle. It is not a diplomatic victory. It is not even a successful negotiation. It is the belated application of a 19-year-old law. The text is clear: departmental land must be returned to the Collectivité. All that was needed was to apply the law." He concludes by criticizing President Lédée for not "really fighting" to recover "ownership of the hospital grounds" with the following reflection: "Saint Barth deserves better than recycled communication."
As for the plots of land on which the Irénée de Bruyn hospital center in Gustavia is built, mediation to determine their owner has been underway for many months. The outcome of this process has not yet been made public as it is still ongoing. At the same time, the majority of the territorial council's elected representatives have voted in favor of a project to rebuild a hospital on the current site. Only the elected representatives of the Action-Équilibre group opposed this, arguing that the possibility of building a new facility in Saint-Jean on land owned by the Collectivité had not been thoroughly studied. In early December, the group sent President Lédée a request to convene the elected representatives of the territorial council in order to put the organization of a public consultation to a vote. This request remained unanswered for several weeks. A written reminder from Bettina Cointre (JSB 1647) was necessary for the request to be heard. On Thursday, January 15, elected officials from the Action-Équilibre group specified that the item should be included on the agenda of the next territorial council meeting in February.
