2500+ People Sign Take Back Our Park Petition

April 29, 2015

More than 2,500 people have now signed a petition calling for work on a new Parks maintenance yard in the middle of the Botanical Gardens to be halted.

“And two weeks after publicly calling for any impact reports into the work to be released, campaign group Take Back Our Park [TBOP] has yet to hear from anyone in Government,” a spokesperson said.

“The group understands the area had been used by part of Parks until hurricane damage 13 years ago forced their relocation to Marsh Folly, but it feels that other sites are more suitable for the intended use as a mustering post for up to 120 Parks staff and a maintenance yard for repairing trucks as well as a parking lot for all of Parks Department heavy vehicles, trucks, equipment and trailers.

“It fears the Gardens, South Road and surrounding areas will be severely impacted by numerous cars and heavy trucks entering and leaving the site, which has a two-story water tower and which will have two new large buildings.

“One is an ‘L’ shaped two-story warehouse, more than 30 feet high to be used as a parking garage for Parks Department, and the other an 18 foot single-story building for truck storage.”

botanical garden mock up 1

Jennifer Flood, a spokeswoman for TBOP, said: “We only launched the petition [link here] in mid-February so to have this many in such a short space of time clearly shows that people support us.

“It is very interesting to read some of the names on the petition and see where a very large majority of the signatures live. I know it is a safe OBA seat, but the local MP ought to take note.”

Mrs Flood said that TBOP also now had almost 800 likes on its Facebook page adding: “The response from people in Bermuda has been phenomenal and we are extremely grateful for their support which has made us determined to keep going.”

TBOP has produced some 3D images which it believes show the scale of the project and how the buildings will dominate the area.

Mrs Flood added: “The planning application was made for 169 South Road so a lot of people did not react because they did not realise where it was. We think these images will really make people take notice of the scale of the work being done.”

botanical garden mock up 2

She added: “Given the level of support we have, I am surprised that we have still to hear from Government about whether any studies were done into the development before it started.”

TBOP put in a request for information under the Public Access to Information law [PATI] asking for:

  1. A paper or electronic copy of the full environmental impact report, the noise impact study, the visual impact study and financial analysis.
  2. Analysis and supporting documentation of alternative sites considered for this development
  3. Documents on costs spent to date on the project as well as documents on future cost projections

“The group was told that none of the reports were in the planning files relating to the new yard despite a Government spokesman quoted as saying ‘while numerous studies have been conducted to find a more suitable location for the maintenance yard, the location at Botanical Gardens was determined to be the best choice’,” they said.

Mrs Flood added: “The area affected is a very sensitive area and I would again ask that if the reports that Government says have been done, have actually been done, that they are released into the public domain.”

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Category: All, Environment

Comments (17)

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  1. Raymond Ray says:

    Unfortunately, it’s too late…This idea of erecting the 2 water tanks and re/locating the maintenance yard didn’t happen over night and could / should have been opposed to in its earliest stage e.g. when the plans were submitted.

  2. Archie says:

    Ridiculous decision. well done to these guys for keeping the pressure up.

    • Devonshire says:

      I have lived in Devonshire my whole life and can’t beleive what a sorry state that whole garden has become. Back in the day this would never have been allowed to happen. The gardens looked well maintained, there were less staff but people took pride in stheir work and at how the gardens looked for tourists. How the MPs who live here can drive past all this everyday and not do anything is beyond me.

  3. WTF says:

    This Gov continues to be a joke.Record unemployment and this is where they’re spending our fri**** money

    • Greenie says:

      Sad day for Bermuda. No wonder this place is going to the dogs. When you see something like this no environmental report, nothing in the file? I thought we voted for change not more of the same crap where Gov. departments are allowed to run amok and ruin our island.

  4. Confused Parliamentarian says:

    I fail to see what this has to do with the Government. Surely this is a Civil Service issues, more specifically Dept of Parks.

    I doubt whether Obama or Cameron would get involved in the day to day running of the country in such a way, so why would we expect “the Government” to do so.

    Whilst I can understand the concerns of those NIMBies who don’t want the facility there, I feel their ire is aimed in the wrong direction.

    • Born Free says:

      I agree that this is yet another ill concieved, self serving decision made by inept civil servants. Why should we taxpayers have to pay for this? Why is this still being allowed to go ahead when Bermuda apparently has no money? Who allowed the civil servants to let it get this far? Bermudians are getting sick and tired of paying for civil servant’s ego projects. Hopefully someone in the OBA will finally listen that we’re fed up with paying for this type ineptitude

    • agatha christie says:

      Who has the final say? Who OKs capital expenditure of this amount? Who sets the policy?
      If the relevant Minister or local MP did not get involved in this in some way then they ought to be asking why.

    • Devonshire says:

      Sorry mate but as elected officials, listening to what voters want is why you got elected in the first place. You don’t get to blame this on the civil servants when we voted to put you in charge. If this is your attitude, don’t bother knocking on my door in two years time.

    • Greenie says:

      Are you saying what voters want doesn’t matter because the civil servants are in charge, not Government?

  5. A Better Day says:

    Here we go again withanother example of how we continue to ruin our own island for the benefit of a few. I am disgusted that we are allowing such a hideous thing to happen in the middle of the Botanical Gardens. I am very glad to see I am not the only one

  6. Shame on Parks says:

    Parks should not be allowed to destroy the only central park we have. They can barely do what they’re being paid for and now they’re being allowed to do this? Why are all the other environmental groups being so quiet about this desecration?

  7. Greenie says:

    Just in time for the America’s Cup. This should really impress our tourists. And the Darwin award for stupid ideas goes to……?

  8. SMH says:

    Obviously this has hit a nerve with a lot of people in that area. I am surprised that Government has not intervened to put this on hold. I am not sure how letting this go forward benefits them in any way. Quite the opposite.

    • roman says:

      surley the plans were submitted during the holy grail of the PLP

      • Greenie says:

        Yes this whole mess is 100% PLP. Now we can only hope the OBA listen to the thousands who are against this and step up

  9. mumbojumbo says:

    This is all well and good …however…if thirty five thousand people require medical marijuana aand nothing transpires…who cares about parks?!?