Ritz-Carlton-type circus'' to get multi-million dollar expansion plans approved, Elbow Beach Hotel Development Company manager Mr. John Jefferis said yesterday.

His comment comes on the heels of the National Trust's announcement it is objecting to the hotel's splashy plans. The Trust's environmental committee cited "grave concern'' about the size and height of a proposed six-storey 120-room extension to the hotel as one of its reasons.

The decision to object was made after a meeting on Monday night with representatives of the hotel's developers and its architects Cooper and Gardner. The Trust initially filed a temporary objection, waiting until Monday night's meeting to come to a final decision.

"The National Trust strongly believes in hotel upgrading but feels that Bermuda should not be held ransom to sacrifice and over develop open space for condominiums to raise cash for such hotel improvements,'' environmental committee chairman Mrs. Lee Davidson said in a statement yesterday afternoon.

She said representatives of the hotel's developers said the super-luxury condominiums "must be built to help finance the hotel improvements''.

The Trust's grounds for objection also include: The planned condominium development on the north side of the property along South Road is "much too dense'' with "little space'' for landscaping to conceal it.

Parking is "inadequate'' and needs to be added to (it recommended considering underground parking).

The planned "Palace Suites'' are "at the very edge of the beach front'' and will be two-stories high to the front and three to the back.

The potential need for extra security, lights and restriction of movement on the beach and tennis courts "when the palatial suites are occupied by VIPs''.

Mrs. Davidson said the Trust considered the palace suites to be "far outside the Bermuda image''.

She added: "Even though the structure will be built on piles, the natural and inescapable shifting of sand dunes will occur, and then the hotel may find a need to build a wall or screen on the beach front (to stop the shifting)...If the building is really considered necessary there are other locations for it.'' Although the Trust did not mention it in their statement, an architect confirmed an historic cottage will be demolished to make way for the condominiums.

But Mr. Jefferis defended the plans, claiming there is currently a "global glut'' of hotel property and Bermuda is fortunate the hotel's new owners are willing to invest huge sums of money in making it the Island's "best beach resort''.

He said there has been "negative feedback'' from the Planning Department so far, with officials making "demands'' the owners do not think they can meet.

"We have already changed the plans for them,'' he said, "We want to start construction on November 1 and we need to have answers from Planning by August 3.'' He charged construction of the Ritz-Carlton would be well under way had it not been for the "incredible delays and hoops its developers were made to go through before finally getting permission. "By the time they got permission it was too late because the liquidity of Japanese banks had seriously declined,'' he said. The project was being financially backed by a Japanese bank.

Mr. Jefferis could not say how the new Saudi Arabian and American owners of the hotel would react if they do not get approval from the Development Applications Board by August 3.

The Bermudian firm Cooper and Gardner is the sole designer of the proposed developments.

Mr. Jefferis said getting approval by August 3 was "key to the project going ahead''. "We put in the application back in April,'' he pointed out.

He added: "A development like this needs someone with vision who can look 20 years into the future. It helps make the deal more viable.'' He said the planned conference centre (in the six-storey mini-hotel) and luxury condominiums are vital to the hotel's success because those features will attract year-round visitors. And he said an additional 120 new rooms would bring the hotel's room number up to the "optimum level'' of 420.

"We can't just lay back and rely on the successes of the past,'' he said.

"We need new products and to give better service.'' The hotel's plans were submitted before the new development plan was officially put into effect.

Under the new development plan -aimed at conserving the Island's open space in general -- the proposed structures would be mostly on land zoned open space upon which development is restricted.

A Planning Department spokesman said about six-eight objections were filed before the deadline last Friday, including ones from Pink Beach managing director Mr. W.A. (Toppy) Cowen, the company which owns Horizons Cottages and Coral Beach Club, the National Trust and residents of the South Shore, Paget area.

Horizons Limited's main complaint is that the proposed developments would block the ocean views of guest cottages at both hotels. The company is also concerned about noise pollution from an increase in traffic in the area and that the planned palace suites would create an eyesore to beachgoers.

The Royal Gazette revealed this week Government gave the owners of the hotel permission to sell the 39 condominiums -- starting at $1.5 million -- to non-Bermudians.

The company plans to build them on the adjoining Fritholme estate property it recently bought.

But Mr. Cowen warned of those plans in a letter to the Editor of The Royal Gazette yesterday.

"The public should not be hoodwinked into believing this latest move will be `utopia' for the diminishing tourism industry,'' he said.

Mr. Cowen compared the density of the planned three- to four-bedroom condominiums with the controversial Catchment Hill condominium proposal for Tucker's Town. He also pointed to a recent study by Lodging Magazine that said condominium accommodations sleeping four-eight are often shared by two families to get a luxury vacation at "half the normal cost''.

"I wonder how many will venture off the property for a meal at some of our restaurants?,'' he asked. "Our taxi drivers should not expect an abundance of business from this area.

"Many complained about the height of the Southampton Princess and now Elbow (Beach Hotel) through a `Cabinet order' will be allowed to elevate into the wild blue yonder. Coupled with this is the proposed castle on the beach with a living room 70X40-foot on one floor and numerous suites on another level. I dare say this will be fit for a king.'' Mr. Cowen was referring to the proposed palace suites to built in part on the dunes above Elbow Beach.

He added condominiums are becoming a preferred accommodation for cost-conscious vacationers.

BIG PLANS -- Elbow Beach Hotel's new owners' multi-million dollar expansion plans include (top photo) a six-storey extension with a conference centre on the ground floor and (bottom photo) a two-storey mini-hotel by the beach housing 11 luxurious "Palace Suites''. The drawings are by architects Cooper and Gardner.