The Muslim community has applied for planning permission to complete a burial site as a "matter of urgency".

The Masjid Muhammad Temple is seeking retroactive approval for the Muslim gravesite at Ferry Reach National Park.

Planning permission was originally granted in 2000 but has since expired, so work on new grave sites has had to be suspended, but now, with only two burial chambers left, the community has applied for final approval.

The extension to the gravesite will consist of 32 burial chambers in two sections a total of 64 graves. The tombs will be sealed by precast concrete covers and divided by eight inch concrete walls.

In a letter to the Planning Department, Oraefo Adisa of the Masjid Muhammad Temple writes: "We the Muslim community of Masjid Muhammad Temple on Cedar Avenue, Hamilton, would like to respectfully request that this Final Approval Application for the Muslim Gravesite at Ferry Point Park, Ferry Reach, be given Special Compassionate Priority Consideration as a matter of urgency.

"The existing gravesite has only two burial chambers left and it has caused us some concern should we suddenly have to use these last two chambers."

Mr. Adisa told The Royal Gazette: "Some work started but we had to stop when we realised the original plan had expired. We are just putting in a retroactive application for final approval, to get it finished off."

Another religious denomination in Bermuda has also submitted a planning application to expand.

The Evangelical Church, at 2 Mission Road, Paget, wants to demolish its existing place of worship and build a new church.

The plans include a basement storey for offices, a nursery, a practice room, choir room, flower room and meeting room.

Benevides and Associates are the agents for the 6,233 sq ft project.

Meanwhile on the South Shore, a public-private partnership to create affordable homes and a hotel appears to be getting underway.

Lawyers Wakefield Quinn have submitted a subdivision application to Planning on behalf of Atlantic Development (Bermuda) Ltd.

The application seeks to create six new lots on the former Golden Hind site, at 60-76 South Road, Warwick. This would bring the total allocated lots to seven.

Government and Atlantic Development announced the residential and tourism project last year. It will consist of 125 low-cost condominiums and a 100-room 'Grand Atlantic' Hotel plus ten fractional units.

Government announced its intention last year to buy approximately half of the 13-acre site, which is owned by Atlantic Development. The capital would then fund the developers' Grand Atlantic Hotel.

The 125 condos the 'Grand Atlantic Residences', will be modelled on the Loughlands project and built in four phases while the hotel is constructed on the neighbouring site.

A Special Development Amendment Order was granted for the project in June last year. The anticipated completion date is 2013.

In a letter to Planning, Wakefield Quinn explains that lots one to four are allocated for residential development and lots five to seven are for tourism.

"As you are aware the application is an essential part of the scheme to facilitate the BHC's (Bermuda Housing Corporation) housing project on the site," the letter states.

"Lots one to three (plus four, if BHC exercise their option) would be merged into a single condominium parcel once building work is complete and are in the interim required to allow BHC to phase their sales to keep the developer's costs at a level which matches the competitive pricing agreed with BHC."

The Development Applications Board will consider all three above planning applications at a future date.