Last week we told you about the surprising land application coming out of northern Caye Caulker where a company and an individual had applied for permission to survey large land parcels which just happened to be in the sea!

By sheer luck, it came to the attention of the landowners who bought the beachfront abutting those properties. They were shocked when they saw the map with the detail of the lands being applied for, and realized that instead of gazing into the Caribbean blue, they could be looking into someone's backyard. Their attorney called 7News to bring attention to the issue and it seems to have worked - partially at least.

7News obtained copies of the application for permission to survey and called the person named in the Blue Bliss Enterprise application. She is 26 year old Yamileth Cocon of Benque Viejo Town. She is applying for the sea bed, not in front of those beachfront properties, but the one adjoining it that goes down to the split.

She was acting on behalf of the company Blue Bliss Enterprise, formed in May of 2022.

Cocon told us that she was on the lookout for properties and came across that lot in the register of national lands, and that is how she applied. But she says that after last week's news story, she has informed the Ministry of Natural Resources that she won't proceed with the application. She says she, quote, "does not want to disrupt other parties around me - the persons (who) bought with the intent of having an ocean view." End quote.

Apparently, she didn't know that persons who buy sea front properties pay a high premium so that they can have that view. As for the CEO of Natural Resources telling us that the Minister wouldn't have signed it anyway, Cocon says she supports government's decision.

However, this change of heart still doesn't give any comfort to those American retirees who we interviewed last week - because Cocon was applying for the adjoining seabed - not the one in front of their properties. So, we also tried to call that person based on the number on the application, but when we did the person who answered told us we had the wrong number.

So, that one is still out there. Last week we asked their attorney: how does one apply for land in the sea?

Jules Vasquez
"However, I don't think that I could reasonably go in and make an application for a portion of the seabed, in front of the existing coastline. I would think that I would be laughed out of the office and when see that happening we wonder if there are moving hands behind these things. Often times someone receives a favourably indication from somewhere inside the government or the public service that you could try a thing."

Steve Perera, Attorney
"We are concerned about it. We think and it's for that reason that we are approaching and seeking assistance from the government early on, for them not to approve it. We are also concern, because as you know sometimes mistakes happen in the government department. Sometimes these things might go unnoticed by the persons above and they would only be faced with it until it is raised and its raised late before them. And this is one area that as you indicated that somehow seems to keep the interest of many. It appears to happen quite often in Caye Caulker and so hopefully it doesn't occur and this is the last person who tries to survey ocean property in Caye Caulker."

We'll keep following this story.

Channel 7