Wedco is aiming to double the population of the West End in five years.

West End Development Corporation general manager Lloyd Telford spelled out the long-term plan for Dockyard and the surrounding islands to The Royal Gazette, adding that a second cruise ship berth was also on the agenda.

There are currently 230 homes within the remit of the Government quango, but it is set to create another 250 to make the West End the "number one place to live, work and play".

As well as simply building apartments at the heart of Dockyard, a pensioners' community home is planned on the Malabar site.

The proposed construction of 56 units in the Victualler's Yard could begin within a year, said Mr. Telford, with the rest following in the next four years.

"It is all about critical mass," said Mr. Telford, manager at Wedco for the past three years.

"We are looking to create an additional five or six communities here, with all the amenities that goes with that, as part of making Dockyard a more attractive environment.

"Cruise ships are our lifeblood but the more residents we have, the more businesses will follow and then we will be able to offer even more to the visiting passengers."

The Dockyard area was hit hard by Fabian with damage expected to run into the millions of dollars being caused both to the foreshore at Boaz Village and to the north arm of the original sea wall in Dockyard, where the cruise ship currently docks.

Despite the devastation, Wedco intends to use the damage repair operations as an opportunity to implement some of its long-term plans.

At Boaz Village, Wedco is hopeful of developing a near-sea level boardwalk to offer fishing sites along the front with one or two retail outlets a possibility.

There are also plans, in conjunction with Marine and Ports, to build a ferry terminal on Boaz Island due to its "favourable catchment area, good amenities and excellent transport links".

Meanwhile repairs to the damaged north arm of the original Dockyard sea wall will see an enhancement of the cruise ship terminal.

"When we go in to repair the damage, it will be a good opportunity to try and make some improvement to the terminal," said Mr. Telford.

"We want to improve the terminal experience and that will mean better transport links and maybe some form of retail opportunity.

"You cannot underestimate the importance of cruise ships to the future development of Dockyard and any work to improve the amenity of the cruise ship terminal is vital."

Still awaiting the official nod from Government, Mr. Telford was more guarded when talking about the second cruise ship berth but confirmed that it was part of the long-term planning for the area's development.

"A second cruise ship berth would be of enormous benefit to Dockyard and to Bermuda," he said.

"This is all in a very early stage, but, yes, it is something that we are looking at. Again, it is all about numbers and the more cruise ship passengers that come here the better.

"It is pretty straightforward. It means double the number of people and it will mean double the money for the businesses here."

He is adamant, however, that were there to be a second cruise ship berth, there would need to be the infrastructure in place to cope with the additional numbers, which would mean investment in transport links, sewage control and the terminal itself.

He added that he would be keen to see legislation covering discharge from cruise ships, with suitable penalties for breaches, to ensure that any development of the area would be environmentally friendly - a theme he is keen to see applied to all improvements to the West End.

Mr. Telford admitted that life for businesses in Dockyard could be "quite bleak" during the off-season and the desire to increase the number of residents was an effort to combat that.

"We are happy when the cruise ships are in port but business dies when they are not," he said. "It can get quite bleak here but getting local residents in will make it much easier through the winter.

"Even the visitor-oriented businesses will have a better sense of survival if they know there is a local community for them to fall back on."

A number of businesses altered their stock in the winter, he said, to try and cater for what local market there was.

Burton Jones, owner of the Littlest Drawbridge gift shop in the Clocktower Mall, is in favour of Wedco's long-term plans, but tinged his optimism with a note of caution.

"The more residents and the more visitors the better," he told The Royal Gazette.

"We have to open 363 days a year and we only have a six-month season where it is very busy. I am in all in favour but we have to make sure we are geared up to receive all those passengers. We have to make they can all be transported around the Island."

He added that events like the Jazz Festival, for which he kept his shop open late, boosted business as many locals made rare trips to the West End and "then bought a few things while they were up here".