Hill and Tucker's Point in Tucker's Town is now at the final planning stages.

It is fair to point out that the $65 million plan has been reduced from 37 residential units to 26 but it still includes 13 detached luxury houses, 13 town houses, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Supposedly there are future plans of a much more complex nature.

We are disturbed that once again it is being claimed that this project is designed to revitalise Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort. Yet it is virtually impossible to find any evidence that the 26 houses can or will contribute anything to the hotel and the suspicion is that Bermuda Properties seeks favour because there is community concern about the future of the Marriott Castle Harbour. There have to be real suspicions that helping the Castle Harbour Hotel is an excuse and Bermuda Properties is simply interested in making money out of Bermuda by developing its land. With the construction industry as busy as it is right now, it cannot even be claimed that the project will provide jobs for Bermudians.

We are in favour of any sensible steps which might be taken to help Bermuda's hotels and especially the Castle Harbour which has clearly been a financial burden to the Marriott Corporation from the day they took it over. If another major hotel were to close in Bermuda we think it would be little short of disaster for the tourist industry. What Bermuda needs is a new major hotel and that would be unlikely to happen if potential investors see hotels closing.

There ought to be grave concern that a non-Bermudian company is seeking to profit greatly from Bermuda real estate by developing a highly attractive virgin area of considerable environmental importance. It is nonsense for Bermuda Properties to suggest as they have done that their plans will "enhance the area''. The area is at its best as it is.

The Bermuda National Trust, the Save Open Spaces group and the Mid Ocean Club have quite correctly objected on the basis that there is no place for development in the area, especially given the vulnerability of the area's caves.

The Leader of the Opposition, Jennifer Smith, was quoted as saying in a speech this week: "We will need to balance our desire to give entrepreneurs the economic freedom they need to generate wealth and employment, with our need to sustain the social fabric which is indispensable for long term economic stability and growth.'' That is a very sensible statement and we can only hope that kind of thinking will be applied to what has become known as Ship's Hill. The environment, of course, is a major part of the social fabric of Bermuda.