critics of Bermuda's new Development Plan.

If Bermuda wants to conserve open space it must accept development restrictions, she said. "The whole planning process is one of control for everybody's good.

"...It's fair to say that it's a conservation-minded plan. Land is a limited resource in Bermuda and we must use it wisely.'' At the same time, she said, the Planning Department expects a large number of individual objections before the September 11 deadline -- and most of them are likely to be accepted.

Some surveying firms and at least one law firm, Appleby, Spurling & Kempe are actively soliciting business from people who might want to object.

But Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said she expected most objections would be straightforward and readily accepted by planners. She urged all property owners to check the zoning maps and object if they wanted to.

Some details of the zoning maps were inevitably based on bad or out-dated information, she said, and such problems could easily be settled. "We want to emphasise that this is a draft plan,'' she said.

The classic example of this was the housing development, Pokiok, off South Shore Road in Smith's, she said.

Developers and plot owners were quick to complain when zoning maps described much of the property as arable.

But when the maps were drawn, Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said, the land had been approved for subdivision for almost 20 years and no development had taken place. It was only in the last few months that access roads were built and lots sold, she said.

Planners readily agreed with the Pokiok complaints, she said, and are likely to agree with most other objections they will receive in the coming weeks.

After the last development plan in 1983, 541 objections were received and 60 percent of them were resolved without going before a tribunal.

Planning consultant Mr. David Summers said he expected there to be many more objections this time around.

"Most of these to my mind will not even get to a hearing,'' he said. "They will be conceded fairly early on.'' But the "sad thing'' is that a number of people will not check their property zonings. "After every development plan and after all the objection periods are over, there are always those unfortunately uninformed property owners who find out far too late that they have been penalised.'' Surveyor Mr. Ian Waddington has voiced similar objections. The new Development Plan apparently ignored existing registered subdivisions, he complained, but should have worked around them.

Like Mr. Summers, he said most objections will probably be readily agreed to by the Planning Department.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said planning approval given under the old development plan was not affected by the new plan -- with the exception that Planning permission is only valid for two years.

As things stand now, she said, there are about 598 condominium units approved but not built, another 350 or so condo units in the planning process, and an additional 893 dwelling units of other types that have building permits.

"None of these are affected by the new plan,'' she said.

But at the same time, she said, it was clear that Bermuda did not presently need a lot of additional land for development.

"`At the Census last summer we had about 2,000 vacant dwelling units, and I suppose now that figure has increased as the number of work permits has fallen.

"And as of June this year, there were 2,132 vacant lots. And we are only consuming about 100 vacant lots a year.