Furious Mary Victoria and Alexandra Road residents will be able to have their voices heard at a hearing before the Development Applications Board (DAB), which will decide if 20 new homes will be built in their backyard.

This week, the DAB resolved to accept a request for a private hearing regarding an application by the Bermuda Housing Corporation to build 20 new homes at No's 11, 13, 15 and 17 Alexandra Road, Devonshire and at No's 2 and 4 Mary Victoria Road, Devonshire.

Works and Engineering and Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent withdrew an application for a 34 unit housing project at Mary Victoria and Alexandra in March, 2004. but n April, 2005, Mr. Devent said 20 new units were planned to be constructed at the site by adding a second storey to the ten buildings known as the flat tops.

However, since that time residents have claimed there was no consultation before the new 20 house plan was submitted.

An argument about the alleged non-consultation between Mr. Devent and the Devonshire residents prompted the United Bermuda Party to storm out of the House of Assembly in May.

In July, residents were further angered when a letter from Planning informing them of the 14 day objection period was sent after half the time had elapsed.

"A hearing is an opportunity for the applicants and objectors to put their formal arguments to the Board," Director of Planning Rudolph Hollis explained yesterday.

Mr. Hollis said one of Planning's Technical Officers usually is the only person to puts his recommendations to the DAB before they decide to approve or refuse a planning application. However in the case of a hearing, an Officer will be paired with both the applicants, the BHC, and the objecting Devonshire residents who were angered at the Government quango's application to put 20 new homes in the area.

When asked whether hearing's had anything to do with the number of objectors to the application, Mr. Hollis conceded that "numbers do make a difference".

"The general policy is for situations when the department is minded to recommend approval but there are a number of objectors," he said.

However, he said if the proposed development was likely to cause a significant public impact but there are no objectors a hearing may also be called.

Mr. Hollis said hearings are uncommon and are usually based around substantial building projects.

He said the last hearing before the DAB involved the application to build a parking lot at the church of Bishop Vernon Lambe, he said.

The hearing will not be open to the public, he said, and will not be held at the Department of Planning's board room as the number of objectors was much greater than 20.

He said the meeting would have to held in another location, unless residents write in to Planning and say only two group representatives would be attending.