The Government has responded to a call from the Opposition for more details to be released on the Fairmont Southampton Hotel special development order, saying continuing planning applications will be subject to public representations.

Dwayne Robinson, the MP for Southampton East Central (Constituency 30), issued a joint statement with Linda Smith, the MP for Southampton West Central (Constituency 31), this week saying that information should be shared on the resort’s associated residential projects and how the hotel redevelopment might impact the surroundings.

They said the particulars of the latest special development order for the resort, published in November, needed to be shared with neighbours.

The opposition MPs pointed out that “many iterations” of various SDOs for the resort went back to 2009, and insisted questions around the financial justification for the scope of the residential component and the impact the latest development plans will have on the quality of life must be answered.

A spokesman for the Ministry for the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation said the special development order grants approval only in principle and does not replace the planning process.

He added that the Government could not yet comment on “specific impacts” as no final applications have been submitted.

“Detailed proposals have not yet been submitted for evaluation by the Department of Planning,” the spokesman said.

“Each phase of development must still be the subject of a separate final planning application. Those applications will be published publicly in accordance with the Development and Planning Act, allowing residents and other interested parties to make representations.

“As stated when the SDO was gazetted, noting the national interest of this project, we plan to publicly announce when the applications are submitted.”

The spokesman said the Department of Planning would assess each application against the conditions of the SDO and the policies of the Bermuda Plan 2018.

He said significant matters such as precise building siting, layout, external appearance, traffic impacts and relationship to neighbouring properties would be considered at that stage.

He added: “As no final applications have been submitted, it is not possible or appropriate to comment on specific impacts at this time.

“The established planning process provides the proper forum for that assessment and public input”.

Ms Smith said this week that Government and Gencom, the Miami-based investment firm whose affiliate, Westend Properties Ltd, owns the resort, were required to be “transparent and answer questions about the overall development” surrounding the island’s largest hotel.

Ms Smith said while it was recognised that additional development is needed for an “acceptable rate of return”, it was not clear how the Government and the developer concluded that the present plan was “reasonable and balances beneficial fairness to the community and the developer”.

The latest order approves up to 159 tourist accommodation units and up to 91 residential units in buildings of two to four storeys.