A UBP MP stuck his head above the parapet at the House of Assembly to declare his support for the Southlands development.

Maxwell Burgess said Bermuda must "embrace" plans for the five-star hotel on the South Shore in order for tourism — and the economy — to survive.

"Bermuda has an economy the envy of the world, having said that though, I think the economy is slightly more reliant on offshore business than it ought to be," said Mr. Burgess.

"To that end, it is why we ought to be improving our income opportunities on the tourism side. I am going on record tonight that I will fight for the development of Southlands as a tourism product, because I believe we owe it to the country."

Mr. Burgess said at Friday's sitting: "In Hamilton there are at least four or five cranes in the community building office blocks as we speak, but I don't see anyone marching up and down Front Street."

The MP said Bermuda was getting left behind by its Caribbean neighbours and so needed to widen its choice of tourism accommodation.

He said more needed to be done, particularly in attracting the younger generation of Bermudians to work in the tourism industry.

"Our friends to the south of us are building much better plants than us as we speak, so we need a first class physical plant," said Mr. Burgess.

"Southlands is a property owned by Bermudians. We don't have an airline or a cruise line, but now we have an opportunity to own a first class plant.

"We ought to be embracing it and encouraging our Bermudian brothers to get into the industry, and to produce a first class plant.

"I'm inviting all of us who believe we have a responsibility to a generation not yet born. I believe it to be in Bermuda's best interests and I believe it to be in our children's best interests," he said.

Mr. Burgess called on his fellow MPs to "resist the temptation to walk behind the 212 or so people with the placards".

But Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, Shadow Finance Minister, claimed that up to 210 rooms at the hotel would be for foreign staff.

"That doesn't show an opportunity to employ Bermudians," she said.

Mr. Burgess's stance showed him going out on a limb to the rest of his party as the UBP have urged restraint over the Southlands development.

The five-star hotel would be run by Jumeirah — famous for its luxury hotels around the world, and developers are seeking a Special Development Order (SDO) to bypass some of the environmental protections in place.

Premier and Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown and former Premier Alex Scott have backed the SDO request, but Opposition party the UBP wants the Ministry of the Environment to halt the review until more environmental assessment can be done.

It voices concern over sewage treatment, woodland management, utility demands and the timetable for staff housing.

Meanwhile, more than 3,200 Bermuda residents have signed an anti-Southlands petition.