The Bermuda Democratic Alliance has echoed a call for more information on the Grand Atlantic Development.

Yesterday Deputy Leader Katherine Michelmore said making the environmental impact assessment done on the South Shore property public would help allay fears.

Ground has already broken on the 125-unit affordable housing complex; an $80 million hotel is also planned for the site.

Dr. Michelmore said: "The Grand Atlantic Hotel/Housing development has raised multiple concerns within the community, but a significant issue involves questions over the safety of the development's location.

"The site, at the location of the old Golden Hind on South Shore is an area including spectacular high costal cliffs, but is known to be highly vulnerable to erosion as a result of wave action during storms and hurricanes. "

She added that she did not understand why Environment Minister Blakeney granted the property a Special Development Order before an environmental assessment was completed.

"The Bermuda Plan and the Environment Charter clearly indicate that Environmental Impact Assessments should be undertaken prior to the approval of major developments," she said. "This makes good logical sense. These assessments should form part of the public record and should serve to reassure the community that due diligence has been performed before planning permission or an SDO is granted."

Her comments echo those made by the Bermuda Environment and Sustainability Taskforce. BEST Chairman Stuart Hayward claims the planned location of Grand Atlantic Resort is dangerously close to a cliff.

According to Mr. Hayward, the property could be threatened over time by erosion.

The United Bermuda Party also asked the Government to make its business plan public. But developer Gilbert Lopes has said there is nothing to worry about.

Mr. Lopes said the area had been inspected by experts and given the all-clear.

In June he said: "We have had a visual report and a geological report on the site," he said. "We had geo-technicians come down from Toronto to take a look at it.

"They dug 11 holes, each one 100 feet down. They came back with a report and we're following what they say.

"These are the same people we use to check all of our building sites." Mr. Lopes said the residential area could be built without any changes to the cliff face but reinforcements may be required for the hotel area.

But yesterday Dr. Michelmore said that was not enough: "Questions still exist in the public area as to the safety of development on this site. Local residents have expressed their concerns over the costal erosion that they witness after every storm.

"A presentation of the studies performed to assess the costal erosion risks and the findings of any environmental impact assessment may serve to allay these fears, and thus we anxiously await them."