Park Campaigners Deliver 3,700 Name Petition
Take Back Our Park [TBOP] campaigners have handed over a 3,700 name petition to Government calling for work on a maintenance yard in the Botanical Gardens to be abandoned.
“Under the plans, the yard is to be built as a daily mustering point for more than 100 Department of Parks staff and parking zone for dozens of vehicles,” the group said.
“There will be one 18 ft tall building and one 30 ft tall building – dwarfing a water tower which has already been erected – containing a paint shop, training room and a storage facility for a variety of items.
“A lot of people do not realise the magnitude of what Government is planning to put there. To give you an idea of the scale, the largest building will be ten feet higher than the water tank and the other will sit at the same height as the tank.”
“People are already upset about the size of the water tank,” said Jennifer Flood, a spokesperson for TBOP, which is campaigning for the work to stop and for the area to be turned to park land.
The work was advertised in a planning application as ‘169 South Road’ – with no reference to the Botanical Gardens – and Public Access To Information requests have shown that no alternative sites were considered by the Government, according to TBOP.
“Our group’s position is that had this development been properly advertised, it would not have been approved due to the public outcry as evidenced by thousands that have signed the petition,” added Mrs Flood.
“Last year, in an unrelated civil case against the development, Chief Justice Ian Kawaley granted a temporary injunction stopping further work on the site and full court hearing is expected soon,” the group added.
Left to right: TBOP spokesperson Jennifer Flood, TBOP member Sherry Chadwick and TBOP spokesperson Claire Smith
“Mrs Flood and TBOP member Claire Smith took the petition to the office of Craig Cannonier, the Minister responsible, after waiting unsuccessfully to deliver it to him in person,” the group said.
Ms Smith said: “Having waited more than six weeks for a response from the Minister we delivered the petition to his office and left it with the receptionist.
“We actually bumped into the Minister in the office lobby and I took the opportunity to ask him ‘do you want really want this monstrosity to be your legacy?’”
Mrs Flood added: “TBOP has consistently opposed this development and we sympathise greatly with the Parks staff but the truth of the matter is their own management did nothing to resolve this situation for almost six years.
“It should be noted that it was actually nine years before the final plans were eventually submitted for approval. We are appalled that parks management have left these workers in unsuitable conditions for so many years when alternative locations could have been found.
“We are adamant that other sites are available that are far more suited to the industrial purposes being proposed at the Botanical Gardens.
“It makes no sense to put this large scale development in the centre of our most important park, especially when we are trying to revitalize both the park and tourism.
“The petition contains 3,750 names, or ten percent of the voting population, and Government should listen to that number of people and agree, regardless of the court case, to stop work now and turn it into Gardens for use by members of the public.”
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Category: All, Environment, News
A new 18 foot high building will “tower over” a 20 foot tall water tank that has been built 2 feet lower than the buildings will be.
TBOP your math skills are outstanding!
Try actually reading the article.
Reading it, I think that refers to the 30ft building
With all due respect, I think you’ve completely missed the point here, people are sending a message to gov that this is bad plan and that they don’t want something industrial, no matter what size in a park.
So if the tank is 20 feet and the building will be 30 feet unless I’m mistaken, that means that the building will be 50% higher (20′+10′) than the tank. That is one L-A-R-G-E building…and will tower over everything else, obviously including that water tower and that’s saying something because that tower is huge. There is no way something that high can be hidden unless Gov has invented some type of invisible paint.
Why isn’t MP Cannonier standing up against this development?
He’s the Minister responsible for seeing this through.
If 10% of the voting population are against it, presumably most live in his district, WHY is he seeing this thought. Should he be doing exactly the opposite? I guess we’re still too far from the election
I thought the whole purpose of a petition was for Government to be able to respond to what the public are saying.
MR CANNONIER ,THIS FROM THE MINISTER WHO PURPOSES SELLING OF SOME OF OUR FORTS AND GOVERNMENT FARM LANDS..YES I AGREE ON SAVING PEOPLE MONIES ON CUTTING BACK ON BUILDING .BUT PROTECT WHAT FARM LAND WE HAVE NOW FOR FUTURE GENARATIONS TO COME..
Hear, hear! the Minister was telling us Bermuda couldn’t afford to maintain all it’s existing buildings…..and now he wants to add more?
Very true. The wheels of this mess started to turn long before Cannonier was made Minister. He should have put the brakes on it long ago.
Marsh Folly. Perfect location. W&E had various operations already.
Absolutely. You can’t honestly tell me that this is the only place available for this in Bermuda. Hideous. Sounds like nobody tried to find a better location.
Marsh Folly makes perfect sense. Already industrial and keeps it out of our parks
How about Tuckers Town, throw everything where the under privilege are.
If Government cared about their workers then why did they wait 9 years to submit the final plans? Lay the blame where it lies and it not the group trying to protect OUR parkland.
I had no idea that what was going in there would be as big as it is. Thirty Feet is one high building and here I was thinking the water tower was too big for there. How did this get approved by Planning? Didn’t they have to take that into consideration?
Glad to hear that there are groups like this and the Shelly Bay group that are willing to stand up for Bermuda’s best interests. I agree, how does putting something like this in the BG make any sense. Who comes up with this hair brained schemes?
So Government needs to spend money to build a training room in the BG now when just last week the same Minister was talking about having to sell off buildings because Government can’t afford to maintain them anymore. Nice one
He must think we’re all a bunch of idiots that don’t remember things. Can anyone honestly tell me HOW this is good for Bermuda…more buildings to add to our debt that will be torn down in a few years because of neglect.
Did I just read that one of these buildings will be bigger than that water tower? WHAT???????????? This has got to be a typo in the article
It looks like we are well into a Public Park use policy (Shelly Bay Beach, Horseshoe Bay Beach, Botanical Gardens…) that is not supported or desired by a significant number of our community. Where is the leadership in our Government and the Bermuda Tourism Authority on the local and guest use of our parkland and beaches?
Let’s stop making it up as we go along and reach some agreement on what we are willing to accept and/or reject on or with our community commons.
I also think people want accountability from our civil servants as well. Parks Dept. want to put new industrial buildings on park land without any notice to the public….I don’t think so. If anyone shouldn’t be putting something forward like this, it should be Parks
Such a bloody shame. The gardens already look awful with what they’ve done there already. No wonder they advertised it like they did
Seriously? “No alternative locations were considered?”…leaving only the BG as the only option for an industrial site? Wowza…how incredibly dumb so people are. Where’s the darn Minister on all this?
what was on that same site before???????? stop moaning you lot, you all want want want but so conveniently Oh not here though.
Why does it have to be in the Botanical Gardens? What’s wrong with putting this in an industrial area? You have to agree that makes more sense, right?
I might be an old fart but shouldn’t they be looking at other location options now before going ahead with it in such a bad location? They’re pants are around their ankles now
30 ft building in the Botnaicla Gardens///////////speechless
When are our elected officials and civil servants going to understand that they work for the people not the other way around. Seems to me the only people who thing this thing is a good idea are the people who came up with it in the first place…and the Minister. “waited six weeks for a response from the Min” for a petition??? Since when is that OK
The Parks employees have always used that location, Buildings were always in place prior to being condemned and torn down. It is the area where the staff need to be with storage and the ability to perform their function. Also being able to go east and west on their routes.
This group acts like this is some pristine ground that is being torn up for development when in fact they are finally putting some infrastructure in place to assist the staff in doing their jobs. in fact it is through this disingenuous approach that they garnered the signatures. Typical approach by an interest group, to make matters worse, ‘they sympathize’ with the parks staff lol, no they don’t, they simply want to capitalize on the former governments lack of attention to this matter to try and stop the trucks, staff moving off south shore road to the compound etc.
One factor in the state of our parks currently is surely moral, lets have the OBA show support to the department of parks, get this needed development done and then hold them accountable to keeping our island beautiful.
Yes, buildings were there before, but not on this scale or for this amount of people. parks staff have had to put up with a lot, I agree, but the point of this article is to say ‘there are other places’. Or at least that is the way i read it.
Sorry mate but in all the years I’ve lived here, and that’s a lot more than I care to say, there was never a water tower or any three story buildings there. They were nothing more than some old sheds. We used to sneak smokes behind the old cannery that used to be there and that was no 30′ shed.
Bingo..you’ve hit the nail on the head but I doubt it that they will ever hold the staff accountable for the shamefull standers of the parks ….
Thank you for standing up for our park! I have many fond memories of kite flying as a child at the Botanical Gardens and plan to take my young family there regularly. There are no doubt far better locations for this type of development (as in fact it would be difficult to imagine a worse location for it!)
I for one hope this groups prevails in the end. It will be a shame for all of us if they don’t
Do you people actually know the precise location of this development, or are you all just flapping your lips because you read one side of the story?
Yes, right in the middle of our biggest national park!
Anyone that’s been to the BG in the last year will know exactly where it is. Look for the barren crater in the middle with the large water tower sticking out. A far cry from what was there before. The water tower, lowering and leveling of the site, paved parking lot, three story buildings….all new
“YOU people”? Really. So just because people care about our parks and green spaces you now see fit to label us all as “YOU people”? What a shame considering stopping this development benefits ALL OF US, including you.
The Botanical Gardens looks horrible and have done for years now. The gardens look abandoned and unloved. Nothing has been done to try and hide the water tower making the whole place look even worse. When if Government going to get their act together and make it the jewel that it sued to be?
Claire! Looking good gurl. Good for you for having the courage to stand up against this nasty business. You have more support than you know. Keep at it
“an industrial site in the middle of a national park”..and yet this got approval Planning and has support from the Min. only in Bermuda
A Person bought a house near site did not know the area, soon they are aware of development. My question is will they consider a scaled down version. By the way its costing government money daily when you have no proper facilities and storage.
If it is true (that this is costing Gov. money daily) then WHY haven’t they found an other location instead? This has been going on for over 13 years! If this is how civil servants think, it’s no wonder we’re on our knees financially.
Is this an admission that Gov. is knowingly wasting money daily when they could just move somewhere else and save money?
What does this have to do with the petition? I think you’ve posted on the wrong article. Easy to do as I’ve done it myself.
NOT IN MY BACKYARD SYNDROME…GET OVER IT…AS MY MATE USED TO SAY…”THIS TOO SHALL PASS!”
More like, not in a public park. ANY public park. These seems to be about pleasing civil servants, no matter what the cost to taxpayers, and not about what’s best for Bermuda. SMH
Water stored at high level is a more efficient and cost effective method for small quantity distribution, like to all those gardens whose condition is being complained about. One electric well pump, run at night when BELCO rates are lower, replaces multiple tank trucks running about the park while visitors are present during the day. Staff need proper training facilities if they are to keep our roadsides and parks in better appearance and condition. This has been a constant subject of criticism in the press.
That yard has consisted of run-down, ramshackle bldgs and leanto sheds for many years. 40+ years ago it was used to assemble the horse and carriage entries for the Ag Show. The facility was long overdue for upgrading, for the sake of staff safety, and operational efficiency. AND a central location is tTHE most efficient distribution method.