Environmental campaigners have questioned Government's claim it has treated formulation of a sustainable development strategy as a "priority" for the past four years.

Announcing Cabinet's final approval of the Sustainable Development Implementation Plan last week, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown said: "Sustainable development is a critically important issue for the future of Bermuda. That is why the development of a sustainable development strategy has been a priority of our Government since 2004."

In that year, former Premier Alex Scott first introduced the concept of sustainable development to Bermuda's governance, and a public consultation followed in 2005-6.

The draft Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan was then issued in 2006, but the final version was only unveiled on Thursday — four years after the issue was first announced.

Andrew Vaucrosson, president of sustainable development charity Greenrock, said: "I am not sure if we would use the word 'priority' since the actual document has only been implemented now — four years later.

"Also, this 'implementation' is not truly sustainable since any change in Cabinet or Government gives those elected officials the opportunity to change it again."

He added: "Since 2004, when this plan was drafted by this current Government, several actions have been taken contrary to it — plans to build King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at the Botanical Gardens, the SDO for Southlands, expanding the dock in Dockyard, larger fossil-fuel trucks and cars being introduced to the road, Government building projects that don't incorporate any 'green' building techniques — Loughlands, Rockaway.

"One needs to examine the actions taken by this current Government before they can 'openly' accept this rhetoric."

Mr. Vaucrosson said: "Greenrock understands the importance of creating balance between economic, social and environmental issues. We have also remained non-partisan in our views, yet we are willing to be critical when there seems to be a lack of 'tangible' action and accountability for lack of action.

"Greenrock still emphasises the fundamental flaw that exists in the current structure of the Sustainable Development Plan — that is, if there is a change in Government, this has a tendency of stalling or dramatically changing the 'tangible impact' of this Plan.

"We have witnessed this since 2004 and Greenrock has discussed this issue with the SDU (Sustainable Development Unit). Therefore, as Greenrock has clearly stated in its mandate, we need to pull the essences of what is captured in the Sustainable Development Plan, and make it part of the way people live in Bermuda.

"By doing this, we move the 'driving force' of this issue out of the political arena, where the policies and goals can easily be changed based on who is in 'power', to being something that the people demand to have in place, based on their understanding of the importance."

Stuart Hayward, chairman of Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), also questioned the Premier's comment that: "Sustainability concerns all of us and therefore no special interest group can hijack this initiative. It belongs to every Bermudian."

The Premier's Press Secretary Glenn Jones said this referred to "lobby groups with a singular interest".

"The Premier wants the public to know Sustainable Development is about ensuring that no singular interest overshadows all the other interests there must be balance," he said. But Mr. Hayward said the choice of wording brought a "polarising factor" to the issue.

"Whether the 'special interest groups' the Premier is referring to are landowners and developers, conservationists, planners, Government ministries or even political parties, it is unhelpful and unstatesmanlike to refer to their interest as 'hijacking'," he said. "It is sad that our Premier feels compelled to taint his comments with terms, deliberately or accidentally, that add a polarising factor to the debate.

"The vague use of such terms prompts us to examine the Premier's comments carefully.

"For example, the Premier states: 'Our plan will show the public that preserving open space and building affordable housing are of equal importance', as though open space and affordable housing are opposed to each other. However, it is the provision of luxury tourism-related housing, in the form of fractional housing units for sale to foreigners, that is the greater threat to the preservation of open space. Luxury housing for sale is also the greater threat to provision of affordable housing.

"We must be alert to this and other false choices that may be posed by a Premier's special interest (tourism) to tilt the balance in favour of his pet projects. That said, I'm sure the public welcomes, as I do, this next step in the process of moving Bermuda towards a truly sustainable society."

The Implementation plan is available online at: www.chartingourcourse.gov.bm.