An environmental pressure groups claims development is outpacing planning after a ten-storey condominium block was turned down – but approved on appeal.
The Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST) said the granting of planning permission despite refusal by the Development Applications Board was “a symptom of a broken system that needs to be fixed rather than Band-Aided”.
BEST said: “With the announcement that the (Environment) Minister has again overturned a well-reasoned DAB decision regarding the ten-storey Serpentine Road condo block, it is clear that development is outpacing planning,” BEST said in a statement.
“We are concerned about planning regulations being overturned or circumvented through appeals to the Minister.
“Early last year, the Bermuda National Trust called on Government to establish a coherent and cohesive policy regarding higher building heights (February 2007).
“At the same time, BEST pointed out that great effort was being made to preserve Bermuda against becoming an urban mass, that planning regulations were in place to prevent buildings being built that were out of character, but that well-established guidelines were being broken though the appeal process.
“The City of Hamilton Plan 2001 needs updating.”
BEST chairman Stuart Hayward added: “What is the point of having a Plan at all if it can be so easily set aside.
“Ministerial overturning of DAB decisions is a symptom of a broken system that needs to be fixed rather than Band-Aided.”
He said: “Architects should not be taking the lead in defining the height, type of building, and design acceptable in Hamilton.
“This is the first ten-story residential building in the country. Such precedent-setting designs should be part of a well thought-out Plan, not ad-hoc or driven by market forces.”
The condo block, at 70 Serpentine Road, was turned down by the Development Applications Board because members said it did not comply with the maximum seven storeys of the City of Hamilton Plan 2001.
But property owner Dennis Chin and agents s.h.y. Architecture appealed and this was upheld on August 21 by Environment Minister El James, who agreed with a Planning Inspector’s recommendation that planning permission ‘in principle’ should be granted.
Inspector Peter Cuming said the development would meet some of the goals of Sustainable Development – particularly the need for “higher density smaller accommodation”.
Mr. Cuming said: “It seems to me that viewed on a case-by-case basis, the height of some modern development in Hamilton has exceeded the City Plan limits without discernible harm having been done.”
“The Bermuda National Trust objected to Mr. Chin’s application, saying: ‘This application is the latest in a number of recent applications for buildings which seek to exceed the storey and height limits of the City of Hamilton Plan 2001′.”
But architect for the project, Simon Hodgson, said that despite the ten-storey height, the development would not impinge on the Hamilton skyline or the Cathedral Corridor.
“In that area, because of the low topography we can easily consider a ten-storey building because residential structures do not exceed the 138 ft height of the ridge of the Cathedral.”
The condo development, at the junction of Dundonald Street with Park Road, will consist of 30 “affordable” one-bedroom units for sale and rental, with parking spaces for 40 motorcycles.
Bermuda could lead the way in preserving the marine life of the world’s oceans, according to a UK professor.
Dr. Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York, says up to 40 percent of the Island’s waters could be set aside as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), enabling fish stocks and ecosystems to thrive.
“Bermuda could lead the way in conservation,” said Dr. Roberts. “It has already led the way with the fish pot ban and in protecting parrotfish and coral reefs, but needs to go further.”
Dr. Roberts said that due to the Island’s geographic location, any overfishing made species more vulnerable to dying out — the Nassau Grouper being a prime example.
“You have an isolated reef system and so if something was to go wrong, it would go wrong badly and it would take a long time to recover from these mistakes,” he said.
“So moving towards 40 percent protection through marine reserves may be warranted in the long term.
“More protection is needed to recover some of the species which have been depleted, and that protection is vital to protect Bermuda’s marine life and fisheries.”
Dr. Roberts gave a public lecture at BUEI last week as a guest of the Bermuda Zoological Society. His book ‘The Unnatural History of the Sea’ charts 1,000 years of human exploitation of the world’s oceans, including modern industrial fishing methods such as trawling.
The world-renowned marine conservationist advises governments around the globe on the importance of establishing MPAs to prevent overfishing and its repercussions on marine ecosystems.
He recommends MPAs should be established to cover 20-40 percent of our oceans.
“The world’s oceans are at the most dangerous levels they have ever been in the history of life on Earth,” Dr. Roberts told an audience at BUEI.
“We can look back with great regret but we shouldn’t beat up on ourselves for not being able to stop it. Now we need to concentrate on what we should do today. We can create the conditions for recovery of marine life by creating areas free from exploitation.”
Dr. Roberts said some MPAs have seen a five to tenfold increase in species within 10-20 years.
“Reserves all over the world have shown dramatic increases,” he said. “It does work — you get a very significant increase in fish, particularly within two to five years of protection.”
He gave MPAs in Mombasa in Kenya, Merritt Island in Florida and in St. Lucia as examples. Eventually the growing populations spill out of the protected reserves into other areas, while fish larvae dispersal also helps to replenish fishing grounds.
Dr. Roberts told The Royal Gazette: “We’ve got to turn the clock back by re-establishing refuges in the sea where our fish can survive in growing numbers.”
In Bermuda he recommends 40 percent of the Island’s waters be established as MPAs, due to the “limited” replenishment of fish stocks.
“One of Bermuda’s problems is that a lot of larvae produced on the platform is predisposed to being swept away. If you’re an isolated reef system, a lot of that system may just take it out to the blue beyond and so it is not going to lead to the repopulation of Bermuda’s fish.”
Dr. Roberts praised the creation of Protected Areas at dive sites and Coral Reef Preserves as “good progressive legislation” but said more needed to be done.
“The focus in Bermuda needs to move towards more protection and it will take political leadership to move that forward,” he said.
“There’s a lot of talk now to establish MPAs out on the open ocean, so Bermuda has great potential to be a leader here, to protect larAge-scale oceanic resources with a protected area in your EEZ.
“It won’t be straight-forward to implement but it is worth doing — to have such a jewel in the crown of conservation on your doorstep.
“I would say to Government be bold, be ambitious, go for something which is world-class in terms of conservation and secure your place as a leader in ocean management. Such MPAs would lead the curve in the management of marine resources around the world.”
Dr. Roberts added: “Your reserve network should be representative of the full spectrum of biodiversity, from the deep sea and slopes of the platform, to shallow seagrass beds, spawning aggregate sites and coastal mangroves.
“In Bermuda mangrove forests are very scarce so they probably warrant total protection, but for the coral reef environment there’s a lot of reefs out there so it would be sufficient to protect a small proportion of that.”
A world-renowned marine conservationist has called on Government to think twice about introducing longline fishing to the Island’s waters.
Dr. Callum Roberts, author of the award-winning ‘The Unnatural History of the Sea’, has addressed governments around the world on the importance of establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to replenish the fish stocks of our oceans.
The Bermuda Zoological Society this week hosted a visit from the UK professor, in which he spoke to scientists, school students, fisheries staff and fishermen.
The York University professor also gave a public lecture at BUEI on his book, which details the history of exploitation of the world’s oceans and the effects of modern industrial fishing, such as trawling.
Government is currently researching the feasibility of commercial longline fishing in Bermuda’s 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. The 2005 White Paper ‘The Marine Environment and the Fishing Industry in Bermuda’ states: “Preliminary efforts have shown encouraging results with catches of swordfish and albacore tuna. Similarly, there is a history of significant catches of albacore by foreign longliners operating in Bermuda’s waters.
“Despite these positive indications there has been no move to further exploit these resources. Failure to do so could prejudice the internationally agreed quotas already obtained by Bermuda and those which might be requested in the future.”
Recommending a study into the potential of Bermuda’s waters for “local fishermen and entrepreneurs”, the Paper states: ‘Should the findings prove favourable, Government will encourage pelagic longline fishing for tuna, swordfish and other species. International regulations and quotas may apply and these will be taken into consideration when deciding upon the total number of licences to be issued.”
Environmentalists claim longline fishing is harmful to wildlife as the hooks in the lines trap other animals such as sea-turtles and sharks – the process known as by-catch.
Last year, Government hired the US longline vessel Eagle Eye II to make four trial expeditions to the 200-mile EEZ. It was granted a two-month licence but was also required to record all by-catch.
In March of last year, then Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield indicated that longline fishing was being considered by Government. She said: “I’m very confident it’s something we should look into. All indications are that this initial pilot programme has been very successful so far.”
Yesterday The Royal Gazette asked Government for an update on its study into longline fishing, but we received no response by the time of going to press. In April however, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Environment said: “The longline feasibility study is ongoing.”
Dr. Roberts however, told The Royal Gazette that longlining would only bring short-term gain at the expense of the marine environment, longevity of fish stocks and the economy of the sport fishing industry.
He told this newspaper: “I wouldn’t do it. There has been longlining in Bermuda’s waters for some time, largely by eastern nations pursuing mainly tunas, but a lot of these longliners have some by-catch, especially sharks.
“One of the issues the Government says it is struggling with is an ancient clause in fisheries management, that if you’re not exploiting your own waters then someone else will. I don’t agree with that.
“We now appreciate the futility of exploiting the resources of the sea, so introducing longlining doesn’t make good sense.
“Experience around the world shows that resources can be exploited very quickly, with grounds abandoned in ten to 15 years’ time. So it would be a short-term hit followed by nothing.”
Dr. Roberts said: “Even if Bermuda was to commence any longlining, there’s a big risk it would impact on the sport fishing industry here, as they could end up no longer being able to find fish to satisfy their clients. And particularly now, with fuel prices so high the economics of longlining probably don’t make much sense.
“From my conversations with fishermen in Bermuda I also don’t think there’s much appetite for it among the fishing community here.”
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The West End Development Corporation (Wedco) has denied allegations that Dockyard is unprepared for the vast amount of waste generated by the mega cruise ships scheduled to arrive next spring.
The CEO of government quango Wedco, Andrew Dias, told the Mid-Ocean News that despite “difficulty getting started”, a new, upgraded waste treatment facility will be completed by April 2009, when the first two Panamax cruise ships carrying a total of around 6,000 passengers and 4,000 crew will arrive in Dockyard.
Mr. Dias added that construction has “pretty much started” now, and is on track for completion by the time the first mega ships dock in the West End.
Questions on the status of the new waste treatment facility arose this week when the Mid-Ocean News was alerted to the precarious state of the current centre, behind the westernmost ramparts of the Westgate prison, hidden from public view by high stone walls.
A prominent local businessman with interests in Dockyard described the current facility as “an open sewer”, questioning whether any upgrades would be ready in time for a tourist influx.
“It’s looked like a nuclear waste dump for the past three years,” he said. “It is rusting and rotting behind ramparts. This looks like bad news today. Where do we go from here?”
Mr. Dias admitted that construction of the new facility had been delayed, but added that the project is back on track.
“We had difficulty getting started and it was a little slower than expected,” he said. “We still expect to be done in April at the latest.”
He said that the difficulties stemmed from “contractor stuff, budgeting – the normal things, nothing out of the ordinary.”
The new West End Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) will cater to the increased number of tourists in the Dockyard area, as well as serving new housing developments planned for Somerset. The facility is expected to cost an estimated $14 million, on top of the approximate $50-million expense of building a new dock to accommodate the Panamax mega ships.
Mr. Dias believes the current facility, despite being described as “in poor condition with an inherent risk of failure” by architects Conyers and Associates, will last until the planned April upgrade.
“There might be minor things not finished but they will be cosmetic,” he said. “I expect it will last until April. We will maintain it as best we can.”
Mr. Dias also responded to claims that the current Dockyard waste facility is responsible for waste spotted three miles off Bermuda’s West End by a snorkel boat. The Bermudian owner of the boat, who did not want to be named, saw what he describes as “sewage waste” floating at Western Blue Cut, a popular snorkelling spot.
“I saw toilet roll and other waste,” he said. “I did not get in the water as the sewage was visible from the boat which was three miles offshore. I do wonder if it is connected to the treatment facility in Dockyard.”
Mr. Dias vehemently denied any connection between the waste at Western Blue Cut and the treatment facility.
“That is an impossibility,” he said. “We treat everything and nothing goes overboard. It is treated in a borehole; what comes out is clear liquid.”
He declined to discuss whether the waste spotted at Western Blue Cut would have come from one of the cruise ships bound for Dockyard.
“That’s too difficult to answer,” Mr. Dias said. “It would be irresponsible unless someone saw a ship. You would see an enormous cloud around the area if the ship discharged waste.”
Mr. Dias explained that the new facility would also consist of the same “trains” visible in the photos above of the current centre – open-air vats resembling large rectangular pools. These trains allow for the biological purification of sewage.
“They can handle very large fluctuations in volume,” Mr. Dias said, noting that an influx of tourists in the summer will represent a massive increase in Dockyard’s waste. “There will be peaks and troughs throughout the year.”
This is not the first time the state of the island’s waste facilities has been called into question.
This week, the Mid-Ocean News was contacted by a Somerset-based worker with connections to the Boaz Island waste treatment facility, currently run by the Boaz Island Village Condominium Corporation.
The lifelong West End resident claims the facility is in disrepair, adding that a “putrid stench” can be detected as soon as one steps foot on Boaz Island. “It is overflowing,” he added.
Three years ago, Boaz Island was closed off to the public altogether when raw sewage flooded the area. At the time, the spill was described in the Royal Gazette as “potentially lethal”, with the Government’s Chief Environmental Health Officer warning locals not to even “dip a toe” into area waters.
The problem is not limited to Bermuda’s West End. Former Corporation of Hamilton councillor Graeme Outerbridge recently called the capital city’s sewage plan into question, labeling it “a disaster waiting to happen”. He told the Mid-Ocean News last month that should the pipe carrying Hamilton’s raw sewage out to Seabright Outfall spring a leak, the waste would be pumped directly into the sea.
Mr. Outerbridge called for the Corporation to drill into the ground to cover and protect the pipe, but added that the “huge expense” for such a project made it unlikely.
Wind energy will be the focus of the next Town Hall meeting on Bermuda’s power needs.
The Department of Energy is conducting a series of meetings as part of consultation into the Island’s future energy sources. Information could be used in drafting a Green Paper on the issue.
The next meeting with be on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bermuda College room G301 and speaker Chris Worboys will address issues including the potential wind resource in Bermuda and possible locations of wind turbines.
The Bermuda Wave Energy project plans to install a commercial wave-energy generating platform to produce a two mega watt (Mw) demonstration model.
The system will then use a phase-in approach after demonstrating ‘Proof-of-Concept’ and a ‘Working Model’ before scaling up to the commercial-sized platform capable of producing 20Mw and more if required.
Once the Green Paper has been produced and made available to the public there will be further public consultation meetings to help develop the ‘White Paper’. These are energy building blocks that will help in the development of regulatory options and Bermuda’s National Energy Policy.
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More than 100 volunteers were out in force for Keep Bermuda Beautiful’s campaign over the weekend.
Mangrove Bay, Jews Bay, Penhurst Dock, Shelly Bay, St. David’s Dock and Grace Church were among the spots to get the treatment for the group’s annual marine clean-up day on Saturday.
It formed part of a worldwide initiative aimed at tidying up the oceans co-ordinated by Ocean Conservancy, which promotes healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems.
“I’m pretty happy with the turnout and results we got,” KBB executive director Richie Lathan told The Royal Gazette.
“Most people who came out were really committed to doing a good job, and by the end it was looking pretty good.”
Information on the amount of waste collected will be available shortly, said Mr. Lathan. Data will be shared with Ocean Conservancy, which will compare Bermuda’s record to other countries. Corporate organisations involved in the clean-ups, which will continue until mid-October include Butterfield and Vallis, Northlands Primary and Capital G.
For more information, telephone KBB at 295 5142 or e-mail kbb@northrock.bm.
Volunteers will be out this weekend helping to clean up the seas around Bermuda as part of a big drive Keep Bermuda Beautiful to keep the Island – beautiful.
On Saturday KBB is having its annual marine clean-up day and this year it will form part of a worldwide initiative aimed at cleaning up the oceans co-ordinated by Ocean Conservancy, a global environmental organisation.
KBB Executive Director Richard Lathan said that they will be keeping a track of the clean-ups to record where Bermuda stands globally by filling out data cards which will be submitted to Ocean Conservancy.
KBB volunteer Robyn Larkin, who is also the Education Supervisor at Dolphin Quest, will be tabulating the cards and said: “This will give us a snapshot of the litter that impacts on our marine environment.”
There are currently 24 sites across the Island targeted as needing cleaning up, with teams signed up for 17.
“Some people may want to do their own thing,” says Mr. Lathan. “We can coordinate the trucks if they let us know.”
Many corporate organisations including Butterfield and Vallis, Northland’s Primary, Capital G are volunteering to help with the clean ups.
Some interested teams and individuals will be conducting clean-ups right through until the middle of October and KBB will be using the data cards for those events as well.
The public is invited to join the teams at the sites or bring their own teams to the ones that have not been signed on.
Additional trash bags and gloves can be collected on the day from the Mangrove Bay, Jews Bay, Penhurst dock, Grace church and St David’s Dock. The clean-ups will start at 9 a.m. and will continue until late afternoon.
The KBB office will be manned until noon on the day and the phone will be manned all day. Interested people can contact KBB at 295 5142 or kbb@northrock.bm.
Ocean Conservancy promotes healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems and opposes practices that threaten ocean life and human life.
Through research, education, and science-based advocacy, it “informs, inspires, and empowers people to speak and act on behalf of the oceans”.
In all its work, Ocean Conservancy strives to be the world’s foremost advocate for the oceans.
September 18, 2008: The Royal Gazette
Algae - it’s green, it’s slimy, it could be the answer to the world’s growing fuel shortage.
And the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is on the cutting edge of algal biofuels research
Jessica Dean, a senior at Oregon State University is conducting research along this vein at BIOS.
“My interest in working with algae for the production of biodiesel at BIOS coincides with the current dilemma of limited resources,” Miss Dean told The Royal Gazette.
“We need to look at alternative ways to fuel our nations without tapping into our feedstock as other biofuels have.
“Algae is a cheaper and more efficient way to go, as it can be produced rapidly and remains an abundant organism on our planet. Not to mention the use of algae for the production of biodiesel needs a minuscule amount of land in comparison to the other well known biofuels.”
Miss Dean is looking at the suitability of different algal strains routinely used to produce biodiesel.
She is attempting to identify and characterise algae from Bermuda and the Sargasso Sea that can be used to produce biodiesel.
BIOS education director Gerry Plumley recently spoke locally at a town hall meeting about the use of algae to produce biofuels.
The event was part of a series of community meetings on energy hosted by the Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce.
“There is a fuel shortage,” Dr. Plumley told The Royal Gazette. “I believe peak oil has come and gone. We have done a terrible job with this experiment we have been doing.
“To take millions of years worth of petroleum and burn it within a very short time has caused great damage to the environment. That is one side of the equation. The other side is that no one wants to give up their fancy cars and airconditioners and nice comfy lifestyles.”
He said biofuels are one possible solution, but not the only one. Wind in certain areas, solar power and natural gas are other alternatives.
“Natural gas may actually be a better alternative, because we have a lot of that,” he said. “It is good, but it is such an experiment.
“It is cleaner and better than diesel, but it is a continuation of the same cycle.”
Dr. Plumley said that nuclear power was another option, but then there was the problem of disposing of the waste.
Using cooking fat to make fuel has been another proposed solution. But there are about a million gallons of cooking fat in Bermuda, and Belco uses about forty times this in a year.
“A million gallons of cooking fuel is not going to go very far to keep Belco running,” said Dr. Plumley. Plus, there are a number of other fuels on the island needed including jet fuel for the airport.
“So you really come down to things like solar power,” he said. “Biofuels are basically solar.
“You are basically taking the Co2 that is in the atmosphere and sequestering that in the algae.
“The algae make lipids, and the lipids make diesel. The diesel releases the Co2 back into the atmosphere. So you have eliminated one thing – you are no longer pumping as much petroleum or natural gas out of the ground.”
He said most countries are trying to go renewable in some way.
“We don’t have to replace everything we have,” he said. “The question is how much do we have to go renewable.
“Do we continue to go with the systems that are there, the pipes and land based systems; or do we do something offshore. If it is offshore then we have to worry about hurricanes or ships that often go aground. There are issues like that. Submerging them offshore is one possibility.”
He said conservation helped with the fuel crisis, but ultimately countries needed another source of energy.
“Can we turn the entire Biostation off the power grid using biofuels?” he said. “If you try to make biofuel with anything other than algae the landmass requirements are much too high.
“Even with biofuel, the best estimates is that it would take 15 acres to run the Biostation. You know how big the Biostation is - 15 acres.”
He said the details of algal farms haven’t been worked out yet.
“The farms that exist now started out like ponds in your back yard,” he said. “They quickly turned into cess pools.”
He said like any other type of plant, there are many different types of algae. Some are like weeds and proliferate quickly, while others take their time to grow.
“In this case, the weedy types tend not to have good lipid content. Others, because of the way they have been selected, have very high lipid content.
“They don’t grow well in outdoor ponds. So they would have to be in more enclosed ponds.
He said the best algae in the world for this process are about half lipids.
“There would probably be a series of tubes of clear plexiglass. You would have miles and miles of tubes that loop around.”
He said Co2 would need to be pumped through the tubes. This is because, like all plants, algae require water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients for photosynthesis.
“So if you have to have a lot of Co2 for the plants to grow, why not take the exhaust from a place like Belco, and bubble it through the system,” said Dr. Plumley.
“That way, the Co2 is being turned into biodiesel. You are going to turn around and burn the biodiesel and release the Co2 again, but at least you have gotten one more use out of it before it is released.
“We are trying to rethink the whole process, and take advantage of what we have,” said Dr. Plumley. “By ‘we’ I mean the world in general, or oceanic islands.”
Dr. Plumley said he was pleased that the government seemed interested in looking at the issue.
September 18, 2008: The Royal Gazette
An award-winning author will be lecturing students, teachers and scientists about human treatment of the world’s oceans.
Marine conservationist and author of the award-winning book, The Unnatural History of the Sea, Dr. Callum Roberts will be here on Monday to go diving, visit local schools, meet students, teachers and scientists during his stay. The Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) will host his visit.
Dr. Roberts is a professor of marine conservation in the environment department of the University of York, in the United Kingdom.
His research focuses on the often-devastating human impact on ecosystems, particularly coral reefs and the decline of fisheries around the globe. The Unnatural History of the Sea charts the effects of 1,000 years of exploitation of ocean life. It was chosen by The Washington Post as one of the 10 best books of 2007, was a gold medallist in the environment book category of the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and also was named best oceanography book of 2007 by the Library Journal.
In addition to all of Dr. Robert’s studies worldwide, he was awarded a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation in 2000 to tackle obstacles to implementing marine reserves, and in 2001 was awarded a Hardy Fellowship in Conservation Biology at Harvard University.
He will be giving a public lecture and book signing at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Tradewinds Auditorium at Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI). His talk, which takes its title from his book, details the history of human treatment of the world’s oceans, and also highlights ways countries can help restore fish stocks and the health of marine environments to reverse the trend.
Lecture tickets are $15 for BZS and BUEI members, $20 for non-members and can be purchased from the front desk, Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo. Copies of The Unnatural History of the Sea will be on sale at BUEI at the lecture.
For more information, contact 293 2727 ext 136, or email development.bzs@gov.bm”>development.bzs@gov.bm. Due to limited seating, advance purchase of tickets is suggested.
September 16, 2008: The Royal Gazette
Former Premier Alex Scott has lodged an objection to plans for a US Consulate car park on a lawn at the Premier’s Clifton residence.
Mr. Scott says the Devonshire property — where he lived during the last few months of his tenure in 2006 — should become a protected site as it represents the official home of the Premier.
A large chunk of the lawn has already been dug up after Works and Engineering pressed ahead with the project without carrying out consultation.
“Do you think, if they started digging up like this at the White House, that what the Americans would say could be printed in a newspaper?” Mr. Scott asked The Royal Gazette. “It’s an affront to the host nation that the residence of the Premier would be used as a car park lot.”
Mr. Scott has written to Premier Ewart Brown and US Consulate General Gregory Slayton to express his disappointment and disapproval.
The plan is for nine asphalt car parking spaces and six motorcycle bays, screened by oleander hedging.
Government says it wants to protect the safety of people visiting the Consulate, who have to walk from the Arboretum.
Mr. Scott said an alternative would be expand parking facilities at the Arboretum and improve the sidewalk on the short journey to the Consulate.
Asked why it was significant for Clifton to be kept as the official Premier’s residence, Mr. Scott said: “What’s the significance of the President living at White House?
“It was decided by Cabinet that this would be the site for the Premier, and future Premiers, should they choose.
“More importantly, it’s a recognised pristine piece of property. It’s what we are trying to protect when we preserve our natural resources.
“This violates everything sustainable development stands for. I think this should become a protected site so it can be saved from the abuse such as this.
“I hope sanity will provide.”
Dr. Brown lives in his luxury private home in Smith’s, meaning Clifton is currently empty. On this point, Mr. Scott said: “It wasn’t just for Alex Scott, it wasn’t just for Premier Brown — it’s intended for whoever the next Premier is until it’s deemed to be the desire of Cabinet to change that. And I would hope they don’t.”
Mr. Scott said he knew from his time as Works Minister that alternatives should be sought, but praised Permanent Secretary Robert Horton for halting work when concerns were raised.
“He could have let the bulldozers roll,” he said.
Government advertised its planning application for the scheme in the Official Gazette on August 27, three weeks after the permit had been approved.
Neighbours had described the lack of a consultation period as disrespectful but this newspaper reported yesterday that one complainant, Daniel Robinson, of Middle Road, was now pleased with the way things were going — and that prior to Mr. Scott’s complaint no objections had been lodged.
Mr. Horton has said Government has considered a number of alternatives but decided the best option was a car park at Clifton.
The State Department of the US has agreed to provide most of the funding for the construction of the parking area, although ownership of the property will remain with the Government of Bermuda.