Sir John Swan has been inducted as an Eminent Professional Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The induction ceremony took place at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club last Thursday where Sir John received his diploma from president of RICS Bermuda Andrew Horsefield and members of the Executive Committee of the RICS Bermuda.

The former Premier is the first Bermudian nominee and Mr. Horsefield said the senior statesman is recognised as a leading property professional, noted for his outstanding contributions to the community.

?It is an honour for me to receive this diploma, it probably represents one of the great milestones my life.? Sir John said.

?Why would an Institution with such eminent and forthright responsibilities recognise a person like myself? I recall how supportive the RICS was of the Waterfront Project, a project I believe is a stepping stone in a direction Bermuda needs to go.?

Sir John said Atlantis is another example of where Bermuda should go in the 21st century. ?Do we continue to build in the countryside or do we take a look at Hamilton and try to address some of the transportation problems, and some of the accommodation problems that are necessary to be addressed if Bermuda is to continue move forward?

?The conversations I have had with members of this organisation have encouraged me to share that vision with them and the community by expressing the need to look at Hamilton as a major location for housing, office and commercial development.?

Sir John said consideration should be given to expanding the boundaries of City of Hamilton so that restrictions could be relaxed to allow buildings to be built higher to accommodate offices and people with commercial activity at the ground level.

He also suggested that transportation problems could also be addressed by making Hamilton a major hub for housing, office and commercial development.

?Their has been a synergy of their (RICS) thoughts and my thoughts and hopefully we can make Bermuda the place it can be and share this vision with the rest of the community.?

According to Mr. Horsefield the RICS is one of the most respected and high profile global standards and membership organisations for property professionals.

RICS Bermuda was founded in 1997 and its main purpose is to build business and Government links and to promote a diverse global property profession in Bermuda.