regime of land zonings across the Island have been approved by Government for publication.

Environment Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto last night indicated the new Bermuda Plan 1992 could be before Parliament within the month, at which time it would become law.

The Plan -- more than three years in the works -- will replace the 1983 Development Plan that has governed development for nearly a decade.

Its philosophy of "sustainable development'' emphasises conservation before development and stems from a detailed survey showing the Island to be well over-developed.

Key survey discoveries used to anchor the adoption of a more restrictive development regime were the existence of hundreds of empty homes and more than 2,000 subdivided but undeveloped lots.

The new plan, covering all property except in the City of Hamilton and the US and Canadian military bases, will go into effect immediately once gazetted.

Property owners who object to their new zonings will be granted a minimum two-month period to register their objections for hearing before a tribunal.

The Bermuda 2000 document published last year to explain the new Plan defined sustainable development as development "which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.'' The first-time recognition of a "moral duty'' to future generations led planners to develop a plan that recognised the Island's physical limitations and the need for "greater restraint in the use and development of land.'' Their policy statement implied that any future land development approvals would have to be tied to "identified needs.'' Last night, Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said the Bermuda 2000 philosophy seemed to have garnered "widespread acceptance.'' The two new documents now at the publishers include a planning statement that defines what is allowed in the new zonings and a booklet of zoning maps.

The maps are considered top secret Government documents until they are gazetted into law.

Government is underlining its commitment to land conservation by using conservation maps beneath development zonings in a two-tier map system that is to become the practical guide for the new plan.

The so-called Conservation Plan is to identify all environmentally important areas from national parks, to recreational areas, to points of specific natural beauty and historic areas.

"The protection, preservation and careful management of these features and of the environment generally will take precedence over all planning considerations,'' Bermuda 2000 said.