Beef Island is an island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in the British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...

. It is located to the east of Tortola

Tortola

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...

, and the two islands are connected by the Queen Elizabeth Bridge

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, British Virgin Islands

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is a bridge that links Beef Island with Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Two bridges have shared the same name, with one lasting from 1966 to 2003, and a new bridge that was completed in 2002.-The First Bridge:...

. Beef Island is the site of the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (IATA code EIS), the main commercial airport that serves Tortola and the rest of the British Virgin Islands.

Trellis Bay is a short walk east of the airport. Trellis Bay is a small town (market, restaurant, coffee shop, local crafts) and beach. Long Bay is west of the airport.

Development controversy

In 2007, a major development on Beef Island was made subject to delays after challenges from an environmentalist group calling itself the British Virgin Islands Conservation Group. The proposed five-star hotel with a golf course and marina was proposed for development near Hans Creek

Hans Creek

Hans Creek is a protected saltwater estuary on Beef Island in the British Virgin Islands....

, on the south east side of the island. After a judicial review

Judicial review

Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...

, the British Virgin Islands court ordered the project suspended whilst the legal review was undertaken.http://www.bvihcg.com/

The court case against the development continues, and news articles are reporting that the legal fight has been inspired by the similar fight on Great Guana Cay

Great Guana Cay

Great Guana Cay is an islet located in The Bahamas. It is a long but narrow islet which is 9 miles in length. It is located in the centre of the Abaco Islands...

, in the Bahamas. http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/bahamas/bahamas.php?news_id=15897&start=0&category_id=25

External links

• Beef Island map