Bermuda's parks and harbours are too precious to be overdeveloped, according to The Bermuda National Trust.

Director of the Bermuda National Trust, Steve Conway, said the Trust was questioning talks of building a new hospital on park land and irreversibly altering shipping channels for mega-cruise ships.

"In recent weeks a number of scenarios have been put forth regarding Bermuda's future; the future of our hospital system and the future of the cruise ship industry in particular," Mr. Conway said yesterday. "It has been theorised that changes must be made and sacrifices borne to ensure that both these sectors thrive in the coming years."

While he said no responsible organisation would dispute the importance of Bermuda's national healthcare system or dismiss the role that cruise ships play in the vital tourism sector, the Trust was still left to ask the question: "At what cost?"

Mr. Conway said the Bermuda Hospitals Board had suggested that both the Arboretum and the Botanical Gardens would be suitable venues for an expanded hospital system.

"The Bermuda National Trust believes that allowing the desecration of either of these two pre-eminent open spaces is too high a price to pay," he said. "These parks are irreplaceable, integral links in the fragile web of diminishing open spaces upon which Bermuda depends.

"The public parks of Bermuda could not have a higher value if the trees were made of gold," Mr. Conway said. "The Trust believes that other locations must be found."

And he said Bermuda should not rush in too quickly to let in mega-ships.

"The question of the introduction of "mega-ships" to Bermuda is another national issue that should be subjected to the most rigid scrutiny," he said. "It is evident from a variety of sources that Bermuda is expected to recreate its docks, harbours and shipping channels in a form more compatible with the new generation of cruise ships. If we do not we will exempt ourselves from the supposed prosperity that these ships will bring. Again we are forced to ask: At what cost?"

And while it may be still too early to tell what impact the mega-ships could have, he warned it could be disastrous.

"It is impossible at this stage in the planning process to determine the full extent of the consequences to Bermuda if the proposed changes move forward," he said. "The result of altering our three main ports and the related channels could be potentially devastating. The only thing that we know for sure is that once these changes are made it will be impossible to undo them."

Mr. Conway said embarking on such plans on any timetable other than one that allows for a comprehensive understanding of exactly what we are letting ourselves in for would be a "disservice to the people of Bermuda".

"At this stage the Trust believes that the hospitals and the cruise ship debate should be limited to 'if we do this' rather than 'when we do this,'" he said.