Have Your Say
Did you watch “Southlands and South Shore” on ZBM? Do you have an opinion on this issue that you would like to share? If so, click on “comments” above and have your say (all comments are held for approval first before appearing on the site in order to avoid spam).
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Good Day
I have just a few things to say about the Southland development. Firstly, I would like to say the Southland Property is not own by the Government but it is own by a private Bermudian citizen. Secondly, I would like to point out that each Storm, Hurricane, Tropical Depression, or any other Natural Disaster has always been destroying the wall facing the South Shore and causing the foundation to be weakened. So by the building of the wall, it will help support the foundation and will act as a sea wall for protection. Thirdly, I think that after hearing your program we, the Bermuda public need to hear the other side of the Southlands Development, because there are always two sides of a story. Finally I would like to ask how you would feel if someone tried to tell you how to develop your property? For this is what you are doing to the owner of the Southlands. So just think about what I have said. And please do some research for yourself and not make a decision on what one person has told you.
Respectfully,
A concern sixteen year old Bermudian.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:13 am
To the concerned sixteen year old Bermudian,
1. No one ever said the property was owned by Government at all.
2. The point of putting a wall or any development on the water as proposed is that it is not only an environmental concern (flora and fauna habitat will be ERASED from sight if a wall goes up) but it’s also a human safety concern. I suggest you stand there when a category 3 hurricane blows through and see what happens.
3. The other side have had their say. They are the ones with the big money. They are the ones holding the plans and the application. They are the ones who have gotten the attention of the Government on this issue. They have had their say. Business always gets the upper footing anyway.
4. No one is telling anyone how to use their property. The application proposes to do away with the restrictions that are on the property as it is. Yes, there are restrictions on the property. Who knew. If developers (in general) were all given SDOs Bermuda would be covered over in concrete.
So why don’t you go away and think about that. Oh and listen to the material that’s presented as it was last night.
There a million reasons why this entire development is wrong for Bermuda. You just need to send us an email and we will gladly assist you.
respectfully,
One of the makers of the film.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:38 pm
I would like to thank the people of B.E.S.T. for presentiong such a wonderful program. I would most of all like to praise Stuart Hayward for genuinely caring about what happens to Bermuda and its people, unlike the current government and governments in the past. If this SDO gets passed, it will be horrible for the people of Bermuda in ways that are far beyond what our minds can imagine. So once again, thank you for giving people that truly care about Bermuda a voice.
July 4th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Thank you for producing this to counterbalance the media barrage of spin being put forward by the developers and Government. Any chance of getting the film or excerpts posted to YouTube?
I am horrified by the scale of the proposed Southlands development particularly when accompanied by the now-approved development next door. Next time you go by the Swizzle there, just imagine the 9 story building that will be between you and the sea.
In the span of just a few years, Bermuda will have gone from suburban to urban.
July 4th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
On July 2nd I tuned in to watch your 30min programme and was shocked at what I was watching. As a young Bermudian, I never agreed with the Southlands project, however I did not realize the immense danger this project would pose on Bermuda’s eco-system and Bermuda as a whole.
I cannot believe that this jewel of island has turned into a breeding ground for such immense selfishness and greed. I absolutly will not stand by another day longer without fighting against the Southlands Project.
I’d like to first ask how I can get more involved with this organisation, and second congratulate you on such a superbly executed tv programme. It actually moved me to tears. I love this island, and I want to protect my home. Thank-you again for all that you have done and for your continuing efforts, I’d love to be apart of them.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Mia Page Chambray
July 6th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
This proposed development is absolutely appalling. These planning codes were never made to be simply pushed aside. If this would never be done, than Bermuda would never become the concrete jungle that the programme mentioned. An SDO enables this to happen, for buildings to be built where the codes state that they should not be. No one that I know even remotely agrees with the Southlands development. Why exactly does the government want to do this; to go against Bermuda and do something completely wrong. Money?
What’s new?
July 7th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Why?
Q - Why should anyone be concerned about this property when it does not belong to them?
A - The day the premier of Bermuda backed the plan for the development of this massive piece of open space was the day it became my right and all any Bermudians right to speak out either for or against it, as the premier is supposed to speak for the people (supposed taken lightly!). Thats the democratic right we live in (at the moment!)
Q - Why is anyone worried about this property when we have never been able to use it anyway.
A - If Bermudians would have spoken up
years ago maybe we would still have our baselands instead of a $125+ million dollar clean-up on our hands! Also, I have walked the Southlands property many times growing up as I live right over the hill on Ord Road. I’m sure many other people in the area have done the same.
Q - Why don’t we just let some Bermudians open a new hotel in Bermuda?
A - Bermudians/Developers will simply provide the land and then a Hotel managment company will run the hotel. The Bermundians involved I don’t feel will have much to do with it once it has been built. Its a Developers dream right!
Q - Finally I would like to ask how you would feel if someone tried to tell you how to develop your property?
A - Well, they allready do and its called the Planning Dept which my wife and I just dealt with to build our home (and its was a relativeley comfortable experience, I might add). We had to follow all rules and regulations for the building of our home so why shouldn’t they? Maybe because the land carries so many protected areas that they need to build on and issueing an SDO gives them free reins to do as they please.
Q - Whay aren’t the developers proividing an Independent Envioronmental Report?
A - ?
Dear concerned sixteen year old,
I presume you are Bermudian and I applaud you wanting to know more info about this project as I did when I first heard of it. But I have a feeling you may not really and trully understand what BEST and many other people are speeking on when it comes to this development. Maybe you should be asking yourself why did the premier support this plan FIRST when there are so many brown sites and vacant hotel properties in Bermuda to build on, why start this so called Tourism expansion with the desicration of almost 40 acres of green space?!
Why are the developers trying to obtain an SDO for this project?
How can you stop coastal errosion with a sea wall sitting on sand and soft stone?
Why aren’t the developers speaking out about the information that has been carefully gathered by BEST?
Your last comment “please do some research for yourself and not make a decision on what one person has told you” I’m not sure whether you think BEST is a one man band but if you do please think again as it involves many people researching every avenue of this development and ways in which it can harm Bermuda now and years down the road. As a sixteen year old I hope you can find the time to appriciate that a lot of what BEST is doing is for you the future generations of Bermuda as there is no guarantee this government and the developers will be around to help when its your time to answer questions.
One last comment. Some people are now saying “why isn’t BEST saying anythng about the Atlantic development?” Just my two sense but how do you know wee are not? As volunteers and concerned citizens we have to deal with our daily lives and can only handle so much. We are doing our BEST!
Solution - Give Jumeriah a 50 year lease for the same price as a 20 on the baselands and have them pay for the clean-up as part of the deal. Have the government hand a portion of property over to the Southlands developers in exchange for Southlands itself. Then turn it into a national park land for ALL us to use. Hey thats a thought!
C Powell