NASSAU, Bahamas — A long-running property dispute in Andros has reached its final stage after the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council dismissed an appeal by the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC).

The dispute concerns approximately one-third of an acre in Mangrove Cay, where WSC constructed two water storage tanks, piping and an access road used to supply the local community.

The Privy Council upheld an earlier Court of Appeal decision involving Carla Anita Cecilia Braynen Turnquest, who established a documentary title to the property. WSC had argued that its long-term possession and use of the land gave it rights through adverse possession.

The September 21 ruling brings greater clarity to the competing property claims and leaves WSC facing Turnquest's claim concerning trespass, damages and recovery of possession.

The decision is also significant because the property contains infrastructure used for the Mangrove Cay water supply, putting land ownership and public utility infrastructure at the centre of the dispute.

The ruling could now lead to further proceedings concerning possession and damages as the parties address the consequences of the Privy Council decision.