The Royal Gazette put questions to the Government and developers Southlands Ltd. on the conditions of the SDO and obtained responses by the Department of the Environment on the following:

Q: : Does this imply that a sewage plant is to be built as part of the resort application?

A: "No. This condition sets out a requirement for the developer to manage sewage from the resort in a manner satisfactory to the Ministry and Department of Planning."

Q: : What kind of measures could the following involve? How concerned is the Ministry re: the following matters?

Storm waters, hazards, coastal erosion, evacuation - I take it this means hurricanes?

A: "Hurricanes in some instances, but also winter and other storms."

Construction traffic? How will the Government minimise the impact, bearing in mind that the neighbouring Grand Atlantic Resort is also going up?

A: "Government will work with all stakeholders, including the resort developers and Bermuda Police Service to minimise any traffic congestion as a result of these projects."

Q: When will construction start on this resort? Will the Government 'stage' the two resorts so congestion from construction traffic does not lead to huge tailbacks along South Shore?

A: "Construction on the resort can only begin once a building permit has been issued. Government will work with all stakeholders, including the resort developers and Bermuda Police Service to minimise any traffic congestion as a result of these projects."

Q: What is this new agreement with the Minister and former owners Willowbank? It intends to restrict/regulate further development on protected land such as woodland - is the Government concerned the developers could add to their existing blocks of accommodation and develop more facilities on the land?

A: "The current section 34 agreement is with the previous owners of the land (the Willowbank Foundation). A new agreement must be entered into with the new owners to amend the current agreement and to extend protection to other areas of the property."

Commenting on the details of the SDO, Stuart Hayward, chairman of Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), said: "Several requirements now have timetables - . This is an improvement over the original draft. However, one point that has not been addressed is on the proposed tunnel: who is going to cover the costs of diversion, construction, oversight and upkeep for the new roadway?

"Also, as the overpass sections of the new roadway constitute newly created land area over the heads of travellers on the public road (underneath), what value has been placed on this newly created land? And what are the developers giving in exchange for this addition to their real estate?"

Southlands Ltd. did not comment yesterday.