visitors and pleasing for Bermudians to live in then it must learn to protect itself. We are well aware that extraordinary pressures have been brought to bear over the Bermuda Properties Development at Ship's Hill but Bermuda should do the right thing and not what is expedient. Allowing this development to go ahead may be good for Bermuda Properties, and there are repeated reports that Government made promises to Bermuda Properties in order to get the Castle Harbour Hotel revamped, but it is not what is best for Bermuda.

A great many people have been heavily influenced by the claims that this development will benefit the Castle Harbour Hotel. There have been constant reports in the Country that the Castle Harbour was in danger of closing and no one wants that to happen both from the point of view of tourism and for the sake of retaining Bermudian jobs. However there is not one shred of evidence that this development will benefit the hotel in any way or that it has potential for increasing the hotel's custom.

Bermuda Properties is a non-Bermudian group seeking to make a great deal of money by developing a good deal of Bermuda's very scarce open space. Good for Bermuda Properties but not good for Bermuda or Bermudians of the future. As Bermudians we have to learn that we do not have a right to desecrate Bermuda.

We are only custodians of this beautiful Country for our time and have a duty to look after the Island for future generations. If we do not do that, they will look back at us with anger. The Development Applications Board has that to learn.

Where is the need for the Ship's Hill development? Bermuda has already agreed to create a residential complex much of which will be for non-Bermudians at Morgan's Point, complete with a new golf course. Surely that is enough for now. It is probably true that these projects provide Bermuda with what amounts to built in visitors who stay for a long period. And that is a good argument for non-Bermudian residential development but we are fulfilling that aim at Morgan's Point. There also seems to be a serious move to open up more Bermudian houses to overseas purchasers which also fulfills the aim.

So why do we need Ship's Hill? Clearly only for Bermuda Properties to make money and, make no mistake, now that they have this they will be back again with their scheme to develop Catchment Hill. They have no stake in Bermuda's future. They want money, lots of it, and they want that money now. When Bermuda is ruined, they will be gone.

Environmentalists have said that they will continue to fight over Ship's Hill and they must do so. They have also been under extreme pressure. If you do not give in to these developments you get branded with the big lie that you are not acting in the best interests of Bermuda. Strange when the exact opposite is true.