the world'', according to the National Trust.

But Trust claims that building luxury homes for non-Bermudians on Catchment Hill will destroy one of the last forests on the Island, were blasted as "rubbish'' by the landowners.

The controversy over the 38-acre area of land in Hamilton Parish came to a head yesterday at the Objections Tribunal to the 1992 Bermuda Plan.

Catchment Hill owners, Bermuda Properties and the Planning Department have agreed to zone a large part of the area for residential development. This is a change to the draft plan.

But the Trust and the Mid Ocean Club want a more restrictive zoning to prevent development of the area.

Representing Bermuda Properties, lawyer Mrs. Dianna Kempe pointed out the agreement with the Planning Department was similar to the 1983 Bermuda Plan, to which there was no National Trust objection.

Mrs. Kempe said: "From an environmental and ecological aspect nothing has changed on the property to substantiate the comments made by the National Trust.

"In the Bermuda 2000 Plan, Catchment Hill was identified as a major development site, but neither the National Trust or the Mid Ocean Club took the opportunity to react to that.

"The strategy of Bermuda 2000 is to ensure the development of Bermuda is done in a controlled way.'' Planning consultant Mr. Kaz Ryzner -- a former Governemnt Senior Planner -- pointed out that during site visits to Catchment Hill members of the tribunal were shown trees which were not good quality and areas of quarry which could not be classified as beautiful.

Mid Ocean Club lawyer Ms Clare Hatcher described the adjoining Mid Ocean Golf Course as a "jewel in Bermuda's crown''.

Ms Hatcher said: "It lies very much in the middle of a network of open spaces. It is important in tourism. It had over 100,000 members or visitors in the last five years because of its serene and beautiful surroundings.'' Despite protests from Bermuda Properties representatives, Ms Hatcher emphasised the company was 96 percent non-Bermudian owned. She said: "It may not be a relevant planning factor but it is relevant in how Bermuda's heritage is being protected.

"There is a huge difference between a water catchment devoid of pollution and noise and a development which would change the area greatly.'' Giving evidence for the Mid Ocean Club, Mr. Martin Lightfoot, the principal of a planning consultancy based in Guernsey, said: "At the time the 1983 Plan was prepared the perceived needs of the community were very different from those of today.

"Between 1970 and 1990, Bermuda's population increased by 16 percent.

Conversely the housing stock grew by a massive 44 percent.

"Bermuda is one of the most densely populated and developed countries in the world today -- some say the third after Hong Kong and Singapore.'' He stressed the importance of open spaces to the tourism industry and felt news of more major development would do major harm to the industry.

Mr. Lightfoot, a former assistant director of Planning, added there are more than 2,000 vacant dwellings and 2,000 undeveloped lots which had been approved for building.

Lawyer for the National Trust Mr. Tim Marshall pleaded with the tribunal members not to allow the removal of the landscape of Bermuda seen by the first settlers on the Island.

Mr. Marshall said: "You are part of a generation which was fortunate enough to know what Bermuda looked like with open space and uninterrupted forest.

"My generation is left with glimpses of that. My children hopefully will have these glimpses. You must not let my kids experience Bermuda only from pictures.'' He continued stating that the Catchment Hill area offered silence away from any human involvement. He said: "There is little in the way of man's interference on a permanent basis.

"It is one of the few places left in Bermuda where you can go and not hear the activities of man.'' Slamming the effects of a development on Catchment Hill as "devastating'', Mr. Marshall attacked the plans of the mainly US-owned company to build houses for non-Bermudians.

He said: "Are you going to house the world or protect what we have got left for the people of Bermuda? "This land was taken from black Bermudians in the 1920s on the basis that it was going to benefit all of Bermuda. This is in the interests of Bermuda Properties and not in the interests of Bermuda.'' Mrs. Kempe was allowed to reply to the objections and said: "To say this would destroy a forest is rubbish. Every worthwhile bit of woodland on this Island that is worth keeping has been kept.'' She said much of the argument put forward by Mid Ocean and the National Trust were selective, pulled out of context and prejudiced the case. She said Bermudians owned large amounts of shares in Bermuda Properties.

Mrs. Kempe stressed that the objectors should have been asked to concern the tribunal only with planning matters and that the tribunal could only decide on the zoning of the area and not future applications.

Tribunal chairman Mr. Jack Lightbourn expects a decision to be made by April because of the numbers of objections received about the 1992 Bermuda Plan.

CATCHMENT HILL -- Controversy surrounds plans to zone Catchment Hill for housing. The water catchments are visible on top of the hill surrounded by woodland.