Now that the Southlands proposal is open once again for public scrutiny, a new problem has emerged.

Environmentalist Stuart Hayward fears a lot of people who want to inspect the Southlands Planning file won?t be able to get their hands on it because the rules require that only one person inspect the file at a time while inside the Planning Office.

Mr. Hayward said in a letter to the Environment Minister: ?Given its size and complexity, even the most experienced reviewers of such an application would require an hour or two to view and absorb the content of the application file.

?Yet even if we were to assume the impossible, that individual members of the public spent no more than half an hour reading the file, in 10 business days only 160 people would be able to see the file.?

The deadline for comment is March 23 at 5 p.m.

In a seemingly unprecedented move last week, the Environment Minister agreed to re-open the public comment period on the Southlands special development order request after people decried the comment phase was circumvented because the file was submitted so close to the holidays.

The Ministry initially said the timing of the submission was beyond its control, but eventually officials bent to public pressure.

Now Mr. Hayward, chairman of the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), is applying more pressure, requesting that the Southlands documents be made available online.

Mr. Hayward said: ?Many more people would be able to view, analyse and comment on the proposal and the SDO if the information was available online.?

It would be very unusual for the Ministry to make such a provision. However, according to Mr. Hayward, it is allowed by the London Borough Councils.

BEST is also asking to have relevant documents from seven agencies made public including the Ministry of Health, the Department of Environment of Protection and the Department of Highways.

Mr. Hayward said: ?This information is vital for the public to have if this re-consultation with the public is to be meaningful.?

Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield has said all along that public input is a critical part of the process.

She said: ?In following this course of action, my objective is to ensure that there has been adequate opportunity for public comment, and to consider all submissions that are made in respect to the published draft Special Development Order before a final decision is made.?

The Environmental Ministry did not respond to questions on this topic by news times.