Commercial development rarely comes without opposition from the people living nearby, as Warwick South East has highlighted in recent years. Tim Smith visited Constituency 24 for this week's Up Your Street.

Four decades in politics have taught Alex Scott you don't solve many arguments without a bit of give and take.

Now the Progressive Labour Party stalwart is hoping middle ground can finally be found on his own patch, where the conflict between commercial needs and those of the residents has rumbled on for years.

With Southlands and the old Golden Hind site, Warwick South East provides the perfect example of the tightrope Bermuda walks as it embraces sustainable development in the 21st Century — the very concept Mr. Scott promoted as Premier six years ago.

But it's not just the well-known hotel proposals that highlight the tricky balancing act between the wishes of families and those of developers.

For the past two years, residents near Cobbs Road have been complaining about a crane in an industrial park which swings over their homes in the wind at a height of about 25 feet.

Families say they're afraid one day the crane will come crashing down in an horrific accident, and would like to see it removed altogether; operators D.& J. argue nobody's ever been hurt, the crane's work is vital for their own existence and it should stay the way it is.

The solution, according to Mr. Scott, is probably somewhere in between.

One woman living next door to the industrial park sandwiched between Coral Hill Lane and Quarry Park Road told The Royal Gazette: "When it unfolds it goes right over our houses. It's actually scary. I sit in my porch sometimes and I say, 'Oh my gosh, what if that things falls?'

"We saw in the news that a crane in America hit a hotel. What if that happened here?"

Mr. Scott has been fielding complaints about the crane since the 2007 General Election.

"The crane is a difficult one," he said. "The crane operator says he has a need to operate it to sustain his business. However, the residents say, 'What about our safety? This is hanging over our property. It could come crashing down.'

"It's not just unsightly, they say it's a threatening structure to life and limb and property.

"The operators will argue that some residents bought their property when there's an industrial site here. But there's some been here long enough to have been here before it was an industrial site. The residents argue, what about our interests, our rights?

"You can't say the residents are truly right, or commercial interests are correct — it has to be give and take."

As the Constituency 24 MP, Mr. Scott has been arguing on behalf of the residents, but he has found it difficult to find a common ground.

"What's the solution? Well that's why it's taken two or three years," he said. "It may even be a planning issue. Is it zoned to take the operation of a crane?

"Residents want the crane taken away. Part of the solution was to have the crane folded when it's not being used. That's been one step taken by the operator. Maybe now we will sit at the table and be able to take that next step."

Mr. Scott declined to give details on the long-term solution while discussions are still taking place; D.& J. management could not be reached yesterday.

Showing that cooperation is not beyond reach, families have previously also complained about debris and sand from the site blowing onto their properties, but the company has since dealt with the problem by putting a cover in place.

The former Premier has become something of a thorn in his own Government's side by sticking up for his constituents, even if it means speaking out against what those in his own party might want.

"I feel my role is to come down on the side of the constituents, the residents, the voters. They are the ones who I have been in power to represent," he said.

Giving this newspaper a tour of his constituency, Mr. Scott pointed to the former Golden Hind site, where some have questioned proposals for a hotel and affordable housing scheme.

More controversial is nature spot Southlands, where plans for a Jumeirah hotel have brought vigorous protests from environmentalists.

Mr. Scott has been pushing for an exchange deal which would switch the project to Morgan's Point, but has hit a sticking point in recent months.

"The closest example of putting sustainable development principles into gear and working was Southlands.

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"We met with Mr. Hunt, Mr. Christensen and Mr. Duperreault [of Southlands], and they were most willing.

"I have never found folks so invested in a development to be so considerate of the needs of the constituents.

"I'm still pushing to see it to a successful conclusion with whatever influence I have."

Other issues in Warwick South East include the creation of the new Arnold's supermarket on South Road, which residents fear will lead to traffic problems.

"They have developed their supermarket with the intention of trailer trucks going along a narrow Tribe Road to the back of the supermarket," said Mr. Scott.

"Residents say, 'This is a small Tribe Road, it can barely take one car at a time. How is it going to be safe and able to carry trailer trucks and our cars? It's an accident waiting to happen.'"

People have also called for a crosswalk on South Road, in front of the supermarket, amid fears of speeding vehicles.

Mr. Scott says he is now urging Government not to approve any further development without also doing something to improve the traffic situation.

"That for me is what sustainable development is all about," he said.

"Having introduced the concept of sustainable development to Bermuda as Premier, the passage of time has put me in a position now where I have to put into practice the principles and concepts of our articulating."

l Next week Up Your Street visits Devonshire East. Residents from that constituency who want to comment should e-mail tsmith@royalgazette.bm.