The Cabinet has received a draft copy of a Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan, Premier Alex Scott announced yesterday.

Director of Sustainable Development Erica Smith also said her goal was to have a draft Plan out for public consultation at the end of March.

?The intent is this next phase of consultation will be to ensure that we have it right and to allow Bermudians to consider the Plan and to provide input to the proposals Government puts forward,? Premier Scott said.

Premier Scott announced the Plan was 85 percent complete.

?Once Cabinet has concluded its review and provided its input to the Plan, another extensive period of public consultation will follow and be led by the Sustainable Development Roundtable and the Sustainable Development Unit,? Premier Scott said.

He said Cabinet would set aside two days after the Budget debate to consider the 300 page document.

And the Premier gave Government a ?grade-A? for achieving a draft Plan in just over a year.

?In February, 2005, a five-person project team including civil servants and a private sector representative was formed within the Central Policy Unit (CPU) and although faced with an aggressive and according to many, impossible timeline, began work towards what is now for them, mission accomplished with the submission of the very extensive, hear me now, 300 page document entitled: ?Charting our Course, Bermuda?s Strategy and Implementation Plan?,? Premier Scott said.

The Plan?s five Key Themes announced by the Premier are identical to those revealed to The Royal Gazette by Mrs. Smith in January, apart from ?Governance and Accountability? which was now termed ?Transforming Governance and the Public Sector?.

He explained these Themes were taken from broad public consultation conducted last year that included various public meetings, phone surveys, mail-out to homes and one-on-one meetings at various local events and levels.

Mrs. Smith said she was pleased with the feedback and said the concept of Sustainable Development ? which the United Nations defines as meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations ? had taken root in the minds of the people.

?We get the sense that Sustainable Development and the understanding of the concept behind it has actually been put on the forefront,? Mrs. Smith said. ?More and more Bermudians are discussing what their impact is on the environment, what their impact is on the citizens coming out of the environment and what they can do to change public impact on natural resources.

She said the percentage of the population to respond to the surveys was reflective of any country.

?If you were to ask people now ?what is sustainable development and what does it mean to you??, I think that they will actually be able to give you some feedback,? she said. ?I think that amounts to success.?

Premier Scott said surveys suggest two-thirds of the public supported Sustainable Development for Bermuda.

?When you look at the surveys that have taken place, the first that took place was about 400, and we had another survey done that amounts to about 800, you begin to see recurring themes,? Mr. Scott said.

The Premier said the topic was important for everybody?s life.

?It is not just for the environmentalists. It is for Bermudians in total,? he said. ?Although there is still much work to be done, the receipt of the draft makes a significant milestone and one that we can proudly say involved the entire community of Bermuda.?

He said a Sustainable Development Unit headed by Mrs. Smith would drive the initiative in the future, including the examination of controversial issues like ?mega? cruise ships.

?Do we turn to St. George?s and say in the name of the economy open up Town Cut? Or do we in the name of sanity say well, maybe we don?t open up Town Cut?? he said.