In April this year, the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce wrote an opinion-editorial in The Royal Gazette highlighting sites across the island where industrial-type activities are occurring on land not zoned for such use.
One notable example is the site at 6 Tribe Road No 6 in Warwick, where the misuse has escalated since our public disclosure, despite numerous formal complaints to the Department of Planning. This is a large site of some five-plus acres and the activity encroaches on the protected agricultural reserve and woodland reserve areas that cover approximately 75 per cent of the site.
It was bad enough knowing that the abuse of this land is happening within the constituency of the Minister of Public Works in Warwick North Central, but adding to the insult is that the owner of the site was recently announced as a Progressive Labour Party candidate for the House of Assembly for Constituency 27 and is a member of the Warwick Parish Council.
The photographic evidence shows various industrial-type activities at the site, including trash-dumping, deserted and derelict construction equipment/boats/containers, sand-sifting, stockpiling of rubble, and signs of prior quarrying. These actions threaten the integrity of protected land, as well as property values in the area.
Surrounding residents will likely feel reluctant to voice their concerns, especially if this policy offender becomes part of the government. It is unacceptable for this illegal activity to persist and accountability must be established.
Why is the planning department not using the full weight of its enforcement powers in this instance where the abuse is blatant, longstanding and has been repeatedly reported with supporting evidence?
Immediate action is required to halt these illegal activities and restore the land according to its designated zoning. We must all be bound by the rules, as we work to dispel the sense that there are indeed two Bermudas.
• Kim Smith is the executive director of the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce. She can be reached at [email protected]
The Royal Gazette – Opinion – Nov. 7, 2024
