The National Trust has defended its objections to parts of the Bermuda Plan, the blueprint for the Island's future.

The Trust came under fire during two of the protests which were before the objections tribunal set up to look into complaints.

It was concerned over plans for Agar's Island off Point Shares, Pembroke, and the Coral Beach Club, in Paget.

And in both cases its objections were questioned because of the numbers of National Trust complaints that have been heard by the tribunal since it began sitting in April.

Under the 1992 Bermuda Plan, Agar's Island is zoned as a historical protection area because of its military magazine dating back to the 1870s. The surrounding area is zoned a mixture of green space and woodland with two houses, and a boat repair and storage works.

The owners of the land Bermuda Transportation Company want the land to be given a residential designation to provide for "unspecified future development of the site.'' This is believed to be recreational or tourism use.

The National Trust submitted a general objection to the zoning of a number of islands requesting a change to nature reserves.

In the report to the tribunal a planning spokesman said: "In the department's opinion, the Trust is attempting to apply the nature reserve zoning too liberally and to cases where it cannot be justified.

"Agar's Island, for example is not an area of exceptional significance nor a wildlife habitat which justifies a nature reserve designation.'' The report continued suggesting that future development must be controlled on the island.

During the hearing for the Coral Beach Club the owners Horizons Limited felt that zoning part of the property as green space and woodland would restrict extensions to the hotel.

However the National Trust asked that the tribunal go one step further to zone the area woodland reserve which means added protection against development.

The majority of the Coral Beach site is designated for tourism and lawyer Mr.

Ian Waddington said the change of the woodland zoning would be "academic.'' National Trust environmental officer Miss Toby Butterfield said the woodland areas have aesthetic and ecological value.

Tribunal chairman Mr. Jack Lightbourn, asked a general question of Miss Butterfield. He said: "We are all aware of the reasons for National Trust objections but life has to go on too.'' Miss Butterfield said: "We recognise there are needs for Bermuda's population but we feel development should be in the most appropriate places and not the most environmentally-important places.'' The tribunal will make a decision on the two objections after March.

The National Trust has been forced to rip up an area of long-established shrubbery -- to try to get rid of troublesome loiterers.

Screw palms and other vegetation have been torn out by heavy machinery. Trust horticulturalist Mr. Bob Duffy announced the move in a bid to head off any complaints that the organisation was being destructive.

The Trust was supposed to have marked its Arbor Day yesterday by replanting the cleared area with Bermuda cedars and palmettos. However because of the bad weather it was postponed.

The Trust is using $25,000 from the Garden Club to renovate the grounds of the empty former library, thought to date back to the 1640s.

It hopes to restore the area next to the house to its appearance centuries ago.

Following the clean-up of the Royal Naval field, said Mr. Duffy, undesirables had tended to gather at Springfield.

"We've had quite a difficulty in terms of vagrants, some drug problems and a lot of rummies around the place.'' "We've had real fears that the building will get burned down if we're not careful.'' People were keeping an eye on it, and the Trust was trying to open the whole property up.

Palms had already been removed and replanted elsewhere. The next step was to remove a 20-foot-high stretch of "uncontrollable'' screw palms.

Plans to open a tea shop in the building are awaiting planning approval, he added.