More than 200 students have joined an online community protesting development on the Southlands estate.

The group ?The Southlands Project is Just WRONG? was formed on February 6 and already has 242 students listed as members on a popular online university community, Facebook.

Currently the future of the 37-acre estate is awaiting a Planning decision that may open the way for an ambitious hotel resort to be built. The plans include two main hotel buildings on either side of South Road in Warwick connected by a land bridge, the road will be diverted underneath the bridge through a tunnel.

Dubai-based luxury hotel group Jumeirah has signed on to operate the proposed new hotel.

The online group was created by Jessica Rego.

She urged young Bermudians to join the group if they believe it is wrong to wipe out arable land, bulldoze the cliff and beach and bring hundreds of additional foreign workers to the Island.

She also wrote: ?We have more need of help with the housing crisis than need for a hotel no one can afford. ?Those designs of complete glass structured pyramids are impractical to Bermuda?s weather and will look stupid covered in sea salt everyday and moving our road to cater to the rich is wrong.?

She also urged the Government to be more forthcoming with information about the development. Many of the list members argued that it would hurt the environment and obstruct views of South Shore.

While the group was designed to protest the development it has evolved ? in its short lifetime ? into a debate forum where many young Bermudians are comparing views and information.

Some of the members recommended the Southlands proposal be scaled down so it is not as intrusive and others argued that a new high-quality hotel development was better than a new reinsurance building or bank.

One student at Lehigh University said: ?I wouldn?t predict this hotel to be a flop either. The people in charge of this project are collectively a lot smarter that say, you or I.

?I?m pretty sure they know what they?re doing when it comes to an investment this large. You say we don?t have the clientele, but don?t underestimate the power of marketing. Think about the increase of tourism to Dubai directly as a result of the Al-Arab.

?This hotel is intended to attract a new type of clientele.?

While another student who attends St. Mary?s University wrote: ?I think this is a great idea. It will create more jobs for Bermudians and allow Bermuda to not be completely reliant on international business.

?Come on, we haven?t had any new hotel developments in a long time. We have got to do more to make ourselves into the premiere tourist destination and I think this will help.?