Ministers Answer SDO Questions On CITV
Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Walter Roban and the Minister of Business Development and Tourism Patrice Minors both appeared on CITV’s “In the Know” programme to recently to address public concerns answer questions regarding the recently tabled Tucker’s Point Special Development Order.
The Ministers told host David Minors Government recognised “the delicate balance a society must have to maintain quality environmentally enriched open spaces and sustainable economic viability.”
Government has said ”Bermuda’s sustainability requires a balanced appreciation and attention to not only our environmental history and future, but also our economic and social history and future” and has thrown its full weight behind the Tucker’s Point plan — although it has committed to providing an opportunity for Parliament and the public to participate fully “in an open and robust debate” before the SDO is granted.
Tabled in the House of Assembly earlier this month, the SDO comes on the heels of more than a year of discussions between the Tucker’s Point resort and Government.
The SDO and other Government concessions would allow Tucker’s Point to build additional residences and expand its hotel.
In the near-term, Tucker’s Point would develop and sell single units as part of a three-lot subdivision on Glebe Hill in Hamilton Parish and seven single family home sites on Paynter’s Road, South Road and Harrington Sound Road. Tucker’s Point also seeks approval to develop nine sites of single and attached housing on Paynter’s Hill.
The SDO will likewise enable Rosewood Tucker’s Point Resort & Spa to expand its current 100 guest room inventory [configured as 88 rooms and suites] by 50-70 guest rooms and suites on the adjacent Quarry Hill site. The actual number of additional rooms will depend on geophysical studies of the site and tourism market conditions as the expansion gets under way.
Tucker’s Point is located on some of the most ecologically sensitive land in Bermuda. As early as last October the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce [BEST] said they were concerned that a “major development is being negotiated in secret,” claiming there is a “proposal is for a large-scale residential development at Tucker’s Point on lands protected by Nature Conserve, Woodland Reserve and Coastal Conserve designations.”
The Planning Ministry has answered new criticisms from BEST and the Bermuda National Trust concerning the environmental impact of the proposed exanpsion at Tucker’s Point, saying “stringent conditions” have been attached to the in-principal approval for redevelopment of the property.
In addition to the environmental concerns, the proposed multi-million dollar project has also bruised cultural and historic sensitivities on the island. Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda [CURB] have strongly condemned the proposed Special Development Order for Tucker’s Point Hotel saying: “Once the home for centuries to a majority of Black Bermudians, and which was forcibly taken away from them, will be the scene of money-making activity yet again, with 78 residences (starting at $3.2M) and 70 hotel rooms being build across the 240-acre site.
“CURB views this proposed SDO as a slap in the face to the original residents and their descendants… they were made to give up their land and homes all those years ago so someone else could make money and exploit their property; and they and all Bermudians are being told it will have to be given up once again for the same reason.”
Tucker’s Point has said approval of the SDO is essential to the continuing financial viability of the five-star East End property.
Read More About
Category: All, Environment, Videos
I will not be satisfied until this entire island is a 21 sq mile slab of concrete. SDO = YES DO!
After that we can reclaim the sea like they do in Dubai.
Do they mention the fact that Mr. Robain works for HSBC, the bank that TP owes quite a bit of money to? So it would seem that it would be in his best interest that they get the SDO, if that is not a conflict of interest, I do not know what is. he keeps going on about people being able to object once it goes through and is in planning, protected reserve should not even get that far. And I am not sure I trust planning to listen to objections when there are government ministers who are heavily invested in this venture in one way or another.
Also, why does government come to bat for a foreign owned company like TP, but lets Newstead/Belmont Hills go under? Why is the government even involved? Will they give me some property if I need it for my business to succeed?
And let me get this straight, Bermudians who happen to fall in love with and marry someone from overseas have to pay a license(like licensing a dog, WTF!??!) just to have a home, and cannot own another, collect rent; Bermudians who own a home in the higher ARV can no longer sell to foreigners; BUT some foreign investor who can’t run a hotel to make a profit gets given more pristine land to sell off to other foreigners. Way to sell out the island, way to sell out Bermuda. It feels like the Turks and Caicos in here all of a sudden.
One more thing, this smacks of propaganda and it is disgraceful they are using taxpayer funds to push their agenda through. I feel like I am in China. Mr. Robain was on the radio yesterday as well trying to push it through, telling people not to worry, it’s no big deal, etc. “Pay no attention to what my other hand is doing!”
They seem to be trying really hard to push this through on us.
It’s amazing isn’t it?
So many PLP supporters blame foreigners for the prices of Bermuda, the lack of jobs available and so many other xenophobic arguments.
But when their Government readily allows a locally owned business (i.e. Newstead/Belmont) fail while simultaneously doing everything in their efforts to bail out a foreign owned entity by allowing the destruction of what little natural beauty that Bermuda has left to spare, there is no objection whatsoever. It is hilarious.
On top of that they readily penalize Bermudians, as mentioned above, for not marrying another Bermudian by restricting their activities and enforcing monetary licencing fees related to housing but in the same breath are more than willing to permit the eradication of precious open space so that a foreigner can build what would be effectively a gated community for the richest of the rich. And again not a peep or objection to this hypocritical stance. I am against the labelling of political supporters as sheep or what not, but the silence surrounding this issue irks me to no end. Why so silent now? Is it because it is your team’s idea and thus we shall not object? Where are all the xenophobic haters that routinely talk cr*p about our foreign workers when it comes to this matter, huh?
And RobbieM is right. This is not a tourism venture. If it was, then how come the, in essence, gated community residences outnumber the hotel rooms by a number of 78 to 70?
Sounds and looks like to me that someone is actively seeking to bail out the HSBC commercial loan book. I mean how else can the Govt allow a locally owned property to fail without a peep, but jump through hoops to ensure that TP survives by any means necessary?
What is really going on here?
If the UBP did this there would be persistent cries of how this is just one example of how the UBP is simply a white supremacist party that is only out to protect the foreigner white business mans interest and is more than willing to allow for the destruction of Bermuda to ensure that some white man’s business remains viable.
But when the PLP does it, it is out of sheer necessity and we are doing it for the good of the island and her people as a whole.
Jokers…
The PLP has out UBP’ed the UBP.
Letariatpro, I agree with everything you say. It is disgraceful how this Government has treated the Bermudian married to a foreigner as a second-class citizen in their own country and yet is ‘aiding and abetting’ and bending over backwards to give these property developers what they want! The Government wants the Bermuda public to believe that this is a tourism product, when in fact it is really a real estate venture, 78 of the planned units being single homes and private residences. This is ‘pure and simply’ real estate speculation! What is most upsetting is that some of the housing units are to be built on property zoned for conservation and other restrictive zonings. It is NOT a tourism initiative at all! The SDO in-principle is a well-planned maneuver to deflect criticism from the Minister onto other parties in the event all aspects of the plan are approved. This Government is selling us out big time to propery developers! Just look at the other SDO’s that have been granted. In the past, Bermudians had no voice when SDO’s were granted. Why they ever thought that several nine-story apartment blocks at Coco Reef would attract buyers, who knows? But Bermudians were left out in the cold and had no say in the matter! SDO’s were designed to permit developments deemed to be of NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. I am sure they were never intended to be used to enable specualative residential units to be built for sale to non-Bermudians, who, by the way, will be permitted to reside in Bermuda for twelve months a year!
PS: Not only did Minister Walter Roban work for HSBC but Minister Patrice Minors once did as well! We all know which Bank has the most to gain with the passage of these measures!
Please make your voices heard so we can stop any further destruction of our Island environment.
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got
‘Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
RobbieM, what have you done to address these issues. You sound nothing more than a bitter white man who’s mortgage has been called….heritage wise.
It was taken from blacks, used by whites, sold to blacks/whites and now the blacks want a piece of the pie.
What goes around comes around.
Not ther UBP’s fault. Not the PLP’s fault.
Ignorance and greed.
Oh…and for all you LTR and et al…..kiss my ass because you screwed me and now I look down from my tree top and wonder why. Greed.
Terry, sounds like your bringing history up again, been listening to the good doc too much have we? if all else fails lets have a history lesson on bermuda.
move on as a country terry, no need.
with regards to the building, it should be our (everyones) best interst to stop this. its not sustainable, its money (if any) for the short term. cra*p investment seeing tourism is down in bermuda. sort out a plan to bring people here before coming up with silly spontaneous suggestions that this would be good for bermuda