Morgan?s Point is the largest piece of unutilised land in Bermuda. The former US Naval Annex remains a desolate out-of-bounds peninsula more than ten years after the US military left.

Part of the legacy is the pollution caused during its previous use. The cost of cleaning up the site so that it can once more be safely used by the public is a matter of debate, but many millions of dollars are expected to be needed to make the area environmentally safe.

But what should be done with the land? Options include leaving it as it is for future generations to utilise as they see fit; clean up the environmental hazards and then leave it as a land bank for future Bermudians and, possibly, allow public access of the area for recreational pursuits in the meantime; or develop the area now for housing, business, tourism and such like thereby safeguarding greenfield sites elsewhere on the Island from needing to be used.

Stuart Hayward, a member of the Sustainable Development Round Table, goes along with the Round Table?s preference that an independent survey be carried out into the level of pollution and cost of a clean-up and then the land be used for development as ?a balance? against development being carried out at more valuable sites elsewhere.

Mr. Hayward said: ?If we know there is a pollution problem, the longer it takes to clean it up the greater likelihood there is that it will be more complex and expensive. So why not do it now while we have a healthy economy and before there is any more potential harm caused??

As for the use of the land, he said: ?Use it as a sponge to absorb developments that are needed and would otherwise go elsewhere. If there is a trade-off between developing a pristine and valuable site or developing at Morgan?s Point, I?d say it is preferable to develop at Morgan?s Point.?