will have on a cave system and the surrounding area has received an A grade from overseas assessors.

And the report says no harm will come to caves located below the controversial Ship's Hill development.

The news came yesterday from Bermuda Properties Ltd. (BPL) general manager Peter Parker whose company has been attempting to fulfil its objectives since 1984.

One of these is to build a $65 million housing development over a Hamilton Parish cave system containing 11 endangered species of microscopic shrimp-like creatures.

BPL have applied for final planning approval for the development of 13 houses with swimming pools, 13 two-storey town houses, a communal pool, four tennis courts and a water tank on Ship's Hill, near the Marriott Castle Harbour Resort.

"The environmental impact statement on the Ship's Hill development is a highly technical and significant document. The Planning Department sent it to the Environmental Assessment Institute and I have just received a call from them saying they have received the report back and we got an A.

"This is excellent. These people don't give A's easily. It means there were no tasks left incomplete. I am ecstatic that this has happened.'' The report is the second one the company has submitted for assessment and cost around $300,000.

"As you know the previous report got a D, not because it was badly done but a D because it was incomplete. We went back and did the work that had to be done. Hopefully now we can go forward.'' One issue the first report did not address was details of a sewage treatment plant because the Planning Department said it was not necessary.

The next step, continued Mr. Parker, providing that the department's technical officers were on their way to completing their review of the report, was for its application to be put on the Development Application Board's agenda.

"We have received approval in principle subject to a satisfactory environmental statement and we have that now so there should be nothing to hold us back from going forward.'' Mr. Parker also said 408 objections to the development had been received by the Planning Department -- not the 1,500 to 3,000 estimated by environmentalists who published an objection form in The Royal Gazette and urged people to send it in to Planning .

"Actually there were 408 objections received by the department,'' Mr. Parker said. "This is significant as 408 people felt strongly enough about the development to do that. I do not cast this off and I am taking it very seriously.

"If I was to say something to these 408 people it would be to please go to the Planning Department and see the environmental impact statement which states that no harm will come to the caves.'' Objectors were most concerned with what effect the development would have on the caves in the area.

"There will be no structural damage and all the sewage will be taken away to a state of the art sewage plant,'' said Mr. Parker.

And even SOS's concerns about swimming pools on the site leaching chlorine into the caves were addressed as all the "soak aways'' and drains would be connected to the sewage treatment plant.

"What we plan to do will improve the caves and the cave water quality according to the environmental impact statement.'' He said there was some evidence of minor leaching from two septic tanks in the area of the caves but "despite this fact the creatures in the caves are alive and well''.

And these septic systems would be taken out and connected to the sewage treatment plant which would be taking all the waste in and be pumping out water into a bore hole on the north side of the property under Water Authority and Health Department guidelines.

Mr. Parker also addressed SOS concerns regarding the effect herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers could have on the caves.

"All three of these are currently being used on the golf course over the cave system.

"Neither their (SOS's) nor our scientists were able to find any evidence of them in the cave water so they are being taken up in the first few inches of soil like they are supposed to.''