planners.

The Williams family claims it has willingly given up more than half of its Saucos Hill land for public use.

But its plans to build family homes on the rest of the land, in Smith's Parish, have been blocked by the Planning Department.

The family turned out in force yesterday to complain that the 12-acre site had been zoned as open space in the 1992 Bermuda Plan. They were making their objections at the Objections Tribunal into the plan in the Cabinet Building.

An application to build the homes has already been turned down by the Development Applications Board.

Senior member of the family, Mr. David Williams, broke down as he told the tribunal members that he wanted his family to have their homes in a beautiful area.

He said he had been brought up in Union Street, in Hamilton, and had been subjected to heavy trucks and smells from Pembroke Dump.

Mr. Williams added: "I do not want my kids to have to go to the bank to borrow money for somewhere to live. They are all mature now and need somewhere.'' Representing the family, Mr. Ian Waddington said: "The Williams family gave up more than half of their property for conservation zoning. They recognised the need for conservation in Bermuda. They gave up 300 feet of waterfront, a huge chunk of their land.'' In 1991 the family decided that something had to be done with the property and put in a planning application which was refused by the board but only after the publication of the 1992 Development Plan. The National Trust had objected.

Mr. Waddington highlighted objections such as "strategic importance'', the land's importance because "it was undeveloped'' and the "large population of land crabs and undisturbed nesting for longtails''.

Then he said: "This area has been undeveloped for 100 years and nothing has changed. None of this has changed from 1983 when the last plan was in force.

"We must recognise that there is room for land crabs, longtails and human beings. They can all live together.'' Mr. Waddington added the Planning Department had never shown any proof that there are too many vacant lots on the Island, another reason for refusal.

This produced an angry reaction from Assistant Planning Director Mr. Brian Rowlinson who said he could not sit and listen to that.

Mr. Williams said: "We have been more than generous in providing for the whole of Bermuda.

"There are no objections from our neighbours. We have always had a harmonious relationship with them.

"We have never put up "no trespassing'' signs. We are not so selfish and we do not expect people to treat us in a selfish manner.'' His son Mr. Franz Williams said Spittal Pond was near to the development providing a perfectly good area of open space even though the family had given the land to the crabs and the cliffs to the longtails.

He accused the Government of trying to devalue the land so that in the future they can buy it at a cheap rate.

Mr. Rowlinson pointed out that planners made their decisions on planning ground "without fear or favour'' or considering the history of the site.

He said: "I cannot argue with any of the Williams family today. When we were preparing the plan we realised we would end up with "windfall or wipeout'' where some landowners would benefit to the detriment of others.'' If a compromise is not reached then the tribunal must reach a decision one way or the other by December.