A controversial special development order (SDO) for Tucker’s Point has threatened both the environment and trust in the Government, according to OBA Senator Michael Fahy.Sen Fahy, the Shadow Minister for Environment, Planning and Housing, said yesterday: “The Government’s wish for a minimum of fuss has led it astray many times in the Planning arena.“SDO after SDO after SDO has been granted to allow controversial developments smooth passage through the court of public opinion, but circumventing the law is a dangerous business. It doesn’t take people long to figure out what’s going on, and they are bound to wonder what else the Government is circumventing in its management of Bermuda.”The Ministry of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy was contacted in connection with this story but has not commented as of press time last night. Last year, the House of Assembly approved by a majority vote a SDO for Tucker’s Point to allow them to build additional luxury homes, despite the objections of environmentalists.While organisations such as the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST) expressed their concern about the potential impact of development at the site, the Ministry of the Environment said the SDO contained “stringent conditions” aimed at protecting the area.The SDO process was subsequently scrutinised by Ombudsman Arlene Brock, who found that Government breached the United Kingdom’s Environment Charter by not carrying out environmental impact analysis before granting the order.Environment Minister Marc Bean responded that the charter was not binding and merely “aspirational.”Earlier this month, Tucker’s Point Management Ltd submitted a Planning application under the SDO seeking to create six lots on Glebe Hill, three of which would be used to build housing units as part of an expansion project. BEST chairman Stuart Hayward criticised the application this week, saying it attempted to circumvent conditions put in place by the SDO.Tucker’s Point however said the application was not to build on the site, but to subdivide the property as part of the Planning process and the conditions did not apply at this stage.Responding to the story, Sen Fahy said that the OBA supports the use of brownfield sites rather than virgin land for development, saying: “Virgin land, we believe, should remain virgin.”In this particular case, he said that anything that helps to financially stabilise the Tucker’s Point Group would help efforts to support efforts to revitalise the Island’s tourism product.However, he added: ”Anyone who has been following this story as it has developed over the last year or two knows that that is a mighty slim silver lining.”The immediate impact of any development on the site would be environmental, he said, saying the environment always seems to “get the short end of the stick.”“But in addition to the environment, there is also another casualty. The price the Government pays with these short cuts is a loss of trust. Those involved in the Planning process lose trust, environmental groups lose trust, the British Government has lost trust in this case and the Bermuda public loses trust,” he said. “The ability to make SDOs is not, as the Government thinks it is, the gift that keeps on giving. It’s the gift that never stops taking.”