of Catchment Hill in Tucker's Town. Under the Bermuda Plan 1992, which passed the House on Friday, Catchment Hill is zoned for development. The House of Assembly was powerless to amend the plan and had to pass it whole or reject it.

The Tribunal into the Bermuda Plan 1992 ignored objections by the Bermuda National Trust, the Mid Ocean Club and others and agreed to allow residential development of Catchment Hill. Last Friday in the House Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. Woolridge, whose constituency borders Catchment Hill, said that few issues have generated as much concern among MPs as Catchment Hill. He is reported as saying, "I think we all agree Catchment Hill should be preserved as open space.'' Yet remarks attributed to Premier Sir John Swan do not give the impression that he is in favour of preserving Catchment Hill.

The Environment Minister, the Hon. Gerald Simons, sits in the Senate and the Development Plan was handled in the House of Assembly by Dr. Clarence Terceira. He told the House, "Government undertakes to immediately review the zoning of this property.'' It is important to note that he did not tell the House the zoning would be changed or that he was in favour of leaving Catchment Hill alone. He promised an immediate review.

What seems to have happened is that the UBP Government made a deal in its caucus in order to get the Bermuda Plan 1992 through the House. Some UBP MPs were clearly against developing Catchment Hill. They included the UBP's loose cannon, the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto and the Hon. C.V. Woolridge, but they also included John Swan faithful the Hon. Maxwell Burgess and the Hon. Wayne Furbert, who represent the Catchment Hill area of Hamilton Parish West.

Political pressures on those two must have been enormous.

The UBP was clearly frightened that it might be defeated in the House. The dilemma arose because the PLP was solidly against developing Catchment Hill and if some UBP members joined them in order to save Catchment Hill, the Government would be defeated. There was a scramble to save the Government from defeat and the promise to review the zoning of this property is the result.

The Progressive Labour Party has already made it clear in the House that it is not impressed by the Government promise of a review and would prefer action to save Catchment Hill.

The Chairman of the Bermuda National Trust's environmental committee, Mr.

Timothy Marshall, has said, "The Trust welcomes this move on the part of Government and looks forward to Government moving quickly to ensure that the hill is saved from developers.'' Government, of course, could have been saved from all this if only the panel hearing objections to the Bermuda Plan 1992 had listened to concerned environmentalists. We think the problem originated with the fact that Government did not appoint a single environmentally aware person to the panel.

Now if this promise of a review is serious, it needs to be acted on immediately. Clearly the people want to save Catchment Hill. Government now has to prove that it is responsive to the people's wishes. If Government does not respond, it will be seen as having misled the House and the people in order to save its neck.