Over 1,000 Sign Petition About Hotel SDO
An online petition has been launched citing concern about “the proposed new Special Development Order [SDO] for the Fairmont Southampton hotel that would allow for more and taller buildings,” with over 1,000 people signing it as of this time.
The submission summary states, “Proposed Maximum 261 Unit Tourism/Residential Development Comprising up to 114 Tourism and 147 Residential Units Contained Within Buildings of 2 to 6 Storeys with Associated Access Roads, Vehicle Parking and Modifications to Golf Course (In-Principle Approval Sought).”
The petition says, “We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the proposed new Special Development Order [SDO] for the Southampton Princess hotel that would allow for more and taller buildings.
“The Southampton Princess hotel has long been a treasured landmark in our community, offering a beautiful and tranquil setting for visitors and residents alike. However, this proposed SDO threatens to change the character of the hotel and the surrounding area in ways that would be harmful to both the environment and our community.
“Moreover, the proposed SDO would detract from the natural beauty of the area. The Southampton Princess hotel is situated in a unique and picturesque location, surrounded by lush greenery and stunning ocean views. The addition of taller buildings would spoil this natural setting and mar the beauty of the area.”
Extracts from the planning documents showing the proposed new design:
They want to put up projects on a golf course?!
I don’t know if they are “projects” in the American sense, but they are certainly buildings and yes, 34 acres of open space, including some golf course, will is proposed to be built on.
The developer says with apparent pride that “62% of the existing recreational and green space will remain”
How does one sign the petition?
I would like to add my name to the list of people against the addition of adding extra units to the Southampton Princess property and getting the existing Fairmont Princess Hotel up and running again. Thank You Trevor Bell.
They look very much like Grand Atlantic. Completed 12 years ago, and the only time they were used was during the America’s Cup. They stand there a permanent monument to PLP incompetence and waste.
IMO the SDO is a done deal and would have been part of the requirement to obtain financing. No SDO, no funding so the PLP is pretending the public have a say, but no way. It’s already agreed and signed off by Burt. Just let the public think they care and will listen. Liars, confirmed by Curtis Dickenson.
Who would buy a piece of a project bordering on a par 3 at best but probably pitch and put, golf course? Competition with the Bermudiana Beach, and neither will survive. More demolition than construction in the future.
Unfortunately, I fear your analysis is correct.
This is so ugly, what a mess.
This government is so desperate to show ‘progress’ it will agree to anything.
We all know this will end up as a housing estate, RIP Southampton Princess.
I’m just saying, if a Hotel the size of Fairmont S’ton was proposed on the Island, you would have thousands of
Signatures against that too. Really funny. Almost nobody wants any development anywhere. So, Bermuda will stay
Stagnant for years to come with a continuous shrinking economy and my fellow Bermudians moving out to much bigger countries. WHAT A PARADOX!!! Money needs to spread around and cause new things to grow.
The Hotel is Iconic. It will still rise considerably higher than the new proposed development. Do you know why?? Because the tall hotel is built on a hill above the proposed six-stores Bldgs. The Golf Course remains. Green Space. Now, I stay in the shadow of this Hotel, and I’m not affiliated with it.
I am all for Green space preserved with prime areas for development. That is the way to steadily increase our population and economy. Otherwise, continue kissing Bermuda goodbye, while Cayman and others pull way past us, laughing! Come, give me some comments………..
IIRC there were many objections and concerns expressed when the Southampton Princess was proposed .
Comparisons were made to the old Bank of Bermuda building on Albouy’s Point and rightfully so .
TBH every once in a while one can still be privy to a comment like ‘How on earth did they get permission to build that thing (SP) there ?’
True , in the end we all got used to it but when one looks at it now , in spite of it’s size and shape , it fits in quite well with the topography all things considered .
This new development though is a totally different thing. Six story high characterless monoliths jammed wherever they can be all in the name of profit for the developer without regard for the environmental impact .. totally unacceptable .
You want comments? Ok, here are a few:
This isn’t one of those “if you build it they will come” kind of situations. You would need to have some disposable income to buy one of these or even stay at the hotel… people with that money do not CHOOSE to stay at a place that looks like this. Trust me. We want exclusivity and privacy for our money. We want a private space directly on a beach, not a room in the kind of building that looks like the MOTEL 6.
And, who wants to spend this kind of money per night to stay in a hotel that is in the middle of a construction site for the next 20 years? And you say you stay in the shadows of the hotel??? So are YOU ok with living in a construction zone for the next 20 years? Enjoy that.
No. What we want is Southampton Princess operating again. Unfortunately, our experience with mixed use developments is that the residential units get built, dividends are declared, the developer has no money and the promised hotel is never built. Tuckers Point is the exception, not the rule.
And then there is the issue of visual amenity. The apartment blocks look ugly and are not in keeping with Bermuda.
You are blind, yes to some condos being built eg 2009 plan, but there has been no focus on getting the hotel open, why would you want to stay in a hotel with a construction site around it. This smells of a build condos and then eventually the hotel closes down as not making money following the destruction of the SP appeal It smells of a land grab and build leveraged by the taxpayers $$$, and tax concessions, which takes money out of our pockets and does not help pay for the civil service workers. If a new developer wants to come into Bermuda, they now have a precedent and will demand the same. Our island asset has been sold off to make money for someone with no consideration of the benefit to Bermudians or the islands future.
How do I sign the petition?
What an aweful sight. Prime Bermuda real estate with project style living blocks. Who in their right mind is going to pay top dollar to fly to Bermuda and spend a week in an ugly housing unit? Burt and the PLP have lost their minds. God help us as we go down the toilet.