nursery, but has turned down a man's bid to start a plant nursery.

The DAB refused Dr. V. Walters' April 22 application for a plant nursery on Lighthouse Road in Southampton on the grounds it was "a forbidden act'' under the Planning Act.

Board members feared the uprooting of plants and trees to make way for the nursery would cause "measurable damage'' to the area, zoned Woodland Reserve and Arable Land.

They further said the proposed development did not comply with the requirements of open space provisions set out in the Bermuda Development Plan.

Dr. Walters was advised to discuss any future applications prior to submission with technical officers at the Planning Department.

The DAB approved Ms Juanita Jones' application to change a building on Morgan's Road in Warwick into a nursery and after-school care facility subject to the following conditions: A maximum of 36 pre-school-age children and 40 primary-school-age children can be accommodated at the school.

In order to safeguard the amenity of the neighbourhood, the hours of operation shall be restricted to 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays only.

And a bell mouth shall be created on the access road to provide for the safe flow of traffic.

The application was initially submitted last December 31 and resubmitted on February 5 with revisions.

In other DAB decisions, the Shell Company was given permission to relocate its liquid petroleum gas gantry for safety reasons. It will be moved to another site at Shell's Ferry Reach Road headquarters.

And Mr. Dennis Furbert's October 2, 1992 application to convert a garage into a storeroom and build a two-car garage next to it was refused. He lives on Spicery Road in Warwick.

The DAB said the proposals did not comply with the new Bermuda Development Plan in that the external appearance of the existing garage was "unsatisfactory'' and the space around it did not prove satisfactory for turning around and manoeuvring of cars.

As a footnote, the DAB recommended Environment Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto serve Mr. Furbert with an enforcement notice requiring him to cease building works already started at the site -- and require the removal of the "unauthorised structure''.

The Planning Department has issued a statement clarifying Development Applications Board approval process following misleading stories in the media on the St. David's gasoline station.

Initial reports said the DAB had turned down Mr. Peter Pitcher's application to expand his marine filling station to serve land vehicles. But the stories jumped the gun by a week on Mr. Pitcher's application, which was in fact approved by the Board.

"Not one, but several stories in the media, print, television and radio, combined to produce an erroneous and misleading picture of the application process,'' a Departmental spokesman said.

The Department said the DAB decides on Planning applications each Wednesday or when its sub-Committee meets on Fridays.

The minutes of those meetings are confirmed the following Wednesday, when the full Board meets. They are posted in the Department the same day and made available to the media.

The Department said applicants to the Board may know of its decisions at any time, but that the decisions are not made public until the minutes are confirmed.