If Government was tested on their environmental record they would fail the exam, according to Shadow Minister Cole Simons.

Lack of guidelines in planning, no transparency in Special Development Orders and an attitude of "arrogance", are just some of the criticisms directed at the PLP's handling of the issue.

Mr. Simons, Shadow Environment Minister, said: "On the environment I would give the PLP a failing mark. An F. What responsible Government would manage its most precious resource for ten years without a national Development Plan which would define Bermuda's land use?

"Bermudians will not build a $1 million home without approved plans and blueprints by Government, and yet this Government is making indiscriminate national planning decisions without a Bermuda Development Plan which has been agreed upon by the people. This document is several years overdue. This duplicitous behaviour is an insult and unacceptable for the people of our country.

"How can one expect our planning process to be effective and efficient when this is outdated by several years?

"The issue of scores of SDOs attests to the fact that our planning process is in a disastrous state. The Planning Department has not been supported with adequate resources for ten years."

Mr. Simons said: "If this Government was transparent, they would have substantiated why an SDO had to be issued, instead of people just seeing it done without consultation.

"How could the Minister of the Environment issue an SDO for the Golden Hind property (Grand Atlantic Resort) without the approval of architects and technical officers, who questioned its scale and lack of detail. What responsible Government would move ahead when technical officers felt there was not enough information to make an informed decision?"

He added: "The Government has also dropped the ball on enforcement. In the last eight years we have had only three planning cases brought before our courts for infringements."

Commenting on the UBP's proposal to Save Open Spaces, Mr. Simons said this differs from the Bermuda National Trust and Audubon Society's Buy Back Bermuda campaign in that it would protect open spaces already in existence.

He says Government misjudged the strength of feeling over plans to build a hospital on the Botanical Gardens and then developers Southlands Ltd.'s plans to build on Southlands.

"Bermudians have grave concerns about over-development and the piecemeal destruction of our open spaces, and rightly so, as this Government has done very little to protect and rehabilitate our open spaces," he said. "What have they done to develop Marsh Folly into a park? They have made no commitment to protect Government-owned greenfield sites.

"They underestimated the strength of the people of this country on Southlands and the Botanical Gardens. Because Bermudians came together and said this is not acceptable, they could not get away with their arrogance. And I'm pleased the community is monitoring the performance of this Government. I applaud their decision to fight back."

Now Government is considering a land swap to relocate the Jumeirah Southlands resort at Morgan's Point, Mr. Simons is also critical of a perceived failure by the PLP to get US compensation to clean up the former Navy base. The subsequent costs to taxpayers in Bermuda could be more than $25 million.

Mr. Simons said: "In negotiating a settlement for the US bases, there is no way they should have let the US government off the hook without getting support for environmental remediation. The reality is the Government did not do a decent job."

He said that if elected, the UBP's Toxic Waste Superfund would set aside money from the Budget each year to clean up all of the former US Baselands on the Island.

Mr. Simons also accused Government of neglecting agriculture and sustainable development.

"In 1912, Bermuda had 3,000 acres of agricultural and farm land. Today we have 696 acres with the same zoning. Are we doing enough to support Bermuda's agricultural industry? The answer is no. The Government has no vision for the agricultural industry.

"The Government should have done more to encourage more organic agriculture and farming. The same energy should be expanded in promoting and further supporting our fishing industry.

"Finally the Government must do more to encourage a reforestation programme."

Mr. Simons said a national tree planting campaign would not only help to absorb carbon dioxide emissions but help to "cool our community" through shading and screening.

He added: "An environmental data gathering strategy is also overdue. There is no master sustainable development plan, hence the mayhem Bermuda faces with the management of its environment."

Commenting on the recent Government announcement that Bermuda would "ratify" the Kyoto Protocol, Mr. Simons said: "The Kyoto Protocol was agreed in December, 1997 and Britain signed it on behalf of its colonies, so Bermuda is not even authorised to sign it."

He added that this week's UN Climate Change Conference in Bali also made such an announcement "outdated".

The Shadow Environment Minister also criticised a lack of action by Government in forging a plan for sustainable energy on the Island.

"Bermuda does not have a national energy plan but fuel prices are going up, so we should be looking at the costs and benefits of renewable energy."