Minister Grants Permission For Capsule Units
Minister Diallo Rabain has granted planning permission for nine prototype capsule units for emergency housing in the west end, with the permission granted for a limited period of four years.
The letter from the Minister said, “I have carefully considered the record of appeal, and I have decided to uphold the appeal and grant planning permission for a limited period of four [4] years.
“In evaluating this appeal, my statutory duty requires me to assess the proposal against the provisions of the Bermuda Plan 2018 as a whole, balancing the urgent national mandate for transitional shelter with the vital planning protections owed to our local communities. I have carefully assessed the initial technical refusal, the formal letters of objection from the Boaz Island community, and the Bermuda Housing Corporation’s [BHC] subsequent supplemental submissions dated May 26, 2026. The objections raised by local residents are valid, deeply understood, and respected.
“Communities have an absolute right to expect that any development introduced into their neighbourhoods is structurally resilient, environmentally sanitary, and protective of their privacy. It is the Ministry’s role to ensure that innovation is never weaponised at the expense of the community’s standard of living.
The Minister said he is “granting final planning permission for a strictly limited period of four years,” noting that it is subject to the enforcement of the a number of technical frameworks including, but not limited to, a 6-foot-high architectural PVC or wooden privacy fencing being installed, vegetation retention, parking and manoeuvring space for 11 cars and 12 cycles shall be established, provision for the control and disposal of storm water, traditional Bermuda accent colours being added and more.
The Minister’s letter added that, “Any consideration for a future extension beyond this 4-year limit will not be automatic; it will remain entirely conditional upon a formal evaluation of the units’ physical durability.”
Screenshot from the original planning application
The decision letter also stated, “The development hereby permitted shall begin before the expiration of three [3] years from the date of this permission.
“The development hereby permitted is for a limited period of four [4] years from the date of issuance of the Certificate of Completion and Occupancy, at which point the capsule units must be removed and the site restored, unless a formal renewal is granted based on the units’ proven operational compatibility and durability.”
According to a presentation given by the Ministry of Housing and Municipalities in December 2025 on the Modular Housing Pilot Program [PDF] the pilot program would allow Government to “test suitability for Bermuda’s climate; assess comfort, durability, and layouts; understand management and maintenance needs; evaluate suitability for different configurations and make evidence-based decisions.”
“Minister Diallo Rabain has granted planning permission for nine prototype capsule units for emergency housing in the west end”
The “emergency” was created when the PLP Government allowed rental units to become Air BnB tourist accommodation.
Fact! Not much of a housing crisis when they won’t freeze these greedy vacation rental units.
HA! Any surprises here. Well of course the Minister has overridden the decision of Planning. Nothing new here.
Last fall DeSilva announced in grand style that these ‘modular’/park model trailers would be here and available for occupancy in February past. So, he had them ordered, paid for, to be shipped ASAP, without Planning approval, without site preparation, nothing but units bought with nowhere for them to go.
Then the NIMBY uproar started in a PLP stronghold area. UhOh! Whoops! We have done it again. Proceeded with something without thinking first.
So, where are these units right now? If they were on the island we would know about them. You can’t get these things, bigger than containers, offloaded, moved and hidden somewhere without people seeing them. Best guess is that they have been sitting in some expensive NJ storage lot while the storm of opposition blows over here.
Sooo….when will these units, supposedly ready for occupation 4 months ago actually be here and ready. Does October seem like a good date?