Video: Minister DeSilva Press Conference
[Updated] Deputy Premier and Minister of Housing and Municipalities Zane DeSilva is holding a press conference this afternoon [Aug 13] to provide an important update to the community. We will have additional coverage later on and in the meantime the live video is below.
Update: The live broadcast has concluded and the replay is below
Update 5.00pm: Minister DeSilva’s remarks:
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us.
At our public meeting in St. David’s a few weeks ago, I said I looked forward to returning with positive news about an exciting opportunity for the community. Today, I am pleased to do exactly that.
What we are announcing is about more than a development project. It is about delivering on priorities that the people of St. David’s have consistently identified for years.
Through public meetings, surveys and ongoing engagement, residents have repeatedly highlighted the need for essential services closer to home, particularly a grocery store, pharmacy services and everyday amenities.
Since the closure of White’s grocery store more than a decade ago, many residents have had to travel outside the community for basic necessities. For seniors and those without reliable transportation, that can be a significant challenge. As Bermuda’s population ages, helping people remain independent in the communities they call home becomes increasingly important. That is why this proposal matters. It is about improving quality of life by bringing essential services back to St. David’s.
As the steward of significant lands within St. David’s and the former baselands, the Bermuda Land Management Corporation’s role extends beyond making land available for development. Its responsibility is to help create sustainable, complete communities. Housing is important, but thriving communities also need services, amenities, employment opportunities and investment.
For several years, BLMC has been seeking the right long-term development opportunity for Marginal Wharf, one that could generate meaningful economic activity while supporting priorities consistently identified by the community. That opportunity emerged when Southside Holdings, a company within the Bermuda General Agency family of businesses, approached BLMC with a proposal to consolidate warehousing operations for the wider BGA group.
BLMC recognized the proposal as a chance to achieve two important objectives at the same time: secure significant private-sector investment in the East End and help deliver services residents have been requesting for many years.
The proposal includes a convenience store, pharmacy services and ATM facilities alongside its commercial operations. It demonstrates how private-sector investment and community priorities can work together to create lasting benefits for residents, businesses and the wider community.
The proposal reflects a strong vote of confidence in the future of St. David’s and the East End. It will support employment during construction, contribute to long-term economic activity and help deliver services and amenities that residents have identified as priorities.
It is also significant because, despite numerous proposals over the past two decades, Marginal Wharf has yet to realize its full development potential. This proposal represents the most substantial opportunity in many years to unlock that potential and expand the range of services, employment opportunities and investment available within St. David’s.
There are still important steps ahead. The proposal remains subject to the required planning, legislative and regulatory approvals. Today’s announcement is about sharing the vision and keeping the public informed as we move forward.
Community engagement will continue throughout the process. St. David’s residents have helped shape this vision, and their voices will remain important as the proposal advances.
At its core, this initiative came together because three things aligned: a community that clearly articulated its needs, a landowner committed to a long-term vision for St. David’s, and a private-sector partner willing to invest in both its business operations and the wider community.
This proposal is about restoring services lost more than a decade ago. It is about supporting independence and quality of life, particularly for our seniors. It is about creating new opportunities for investment and economic growth in the East End. And it is about building the kind of complete community that residents have said they want to see.
I want to thank the Bermuda Land Management Corporation, Southside Holdings, the Bermuda General Agency group of companies, and most importantly the residents of St. David’s, whose continued engagement and advocacy have helped bring us to this point.
We look forward to continuing the conversation with the community and working together to make this vision a reality.
Thank you.
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