Government denied that they are considering a special development order (SDO) for a large-scale construction project on protected land at Tuckers Point.

BEST Chairman Stuart Hayward is claiming his group recently "became aware of" a proposal being made to Government that would require a SDO, which negates the need for normal planning permission. However, Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque responded to the reports saying: "No SDO has been finalised, prepared for the consideration of the Minister responsible or Cabinet. As such, the nature of any story and apparent releases from BEST et al are purely speculative and in fact so premature as to be unreliable."

A spokeswoman for Tucker's Point would not confirm, deny, or detail any future construction plans, saying: "Tucker's Point is in the middle of sensitive negotiations and we are unable to comment further at this time." She also said that an announcement with more information would be made in a few weeks. In a press release issued yesterday by BEST, Mr. Hayward alleged: "The proposal is for a large-scale residential development at Tucker's Point on lands protected by the Nature Conserve, Woodland Reserve and Coastal Conserve designations.

"Implementing a housing development on these protected areas would break just about every planning rule there is. The only way a proposal of this sort could be approved would be via an SDO."

Mr. Hayward claimed that discussions regarding this matter have been "going on behind closed doors," and said that any discussion of SDO's should be carried out in the public eye.

"The public needs to have unfettered access to the professional assessments of these technical officers, hired on the taxpayer's behalf and with taxpayer funds. Only then can the public weigh up the costs of such speculative development on lands bearing the highest possible protected status.

"Before the granting of an SDO for such a development, the government must provide the public with a clear understanding of the scope and the extent of the development, the rationale for overriding the Bermuda Development Plan, the ramifications of granting an SDO and the safeguards put into place to offset unintended consequences."

Bermuda Properties Limited previously was granted an SDO in 1995 for the construction of a series of homes on Ships Hill, an area that had been protected for it's caves and rare yellowwood trees.

Despite the concerns, then-Environmental Minister Gerald Simons granted an SDO to give Bermuda Properties, which owns Tucker's Point, principle planning approval. Bermuda Properties said the development was a key component in the resort's development as it would raise capital needed for improvements.