Shadow Minister of Environment Glenn Blakeney has accused Michael Dunkley of trying to “score cheap political points” by saying Ariel Sands redevelopment had “broken ground”.

He said that despite the groundbreaking announcement on Wednesday morning, attended by part-owner Michael Douglas, the Premier and relevant ministers, the official status of the Ariel Sands is that permission has only been granted for demolition of existing units. To break ground means to begin excavation on a construction project.

“We, in the Progressive Labour Party, want success for Bermuda and did our part while in government to be supportive of business as in the end the people of Bermuda benefit from a successful economy. The narrative to politically spin this development in a favourable light for the OBA by attempting to score cheap political points against the PLP as Premier Dunkley demonstrated is divisive.

He added: “There appears to be no imminent beginning to the actual groundbreaking that will deliver this new cottage colony We would like the OBA Government and/or the proprietors of Ariel Sands to clarify for the public when in fact they anticipate submitting the requisite plans to the Department of Planning and consequently advising when a real groundbreaking will occur.”

Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy said that the statement made by the Opposition in respect of the Ariel Sands development was, “sad and desperate”. He said: “It is hardly unusual for a developer to demolish a site prior to submission of a Development Application. This is exactly what has occurred here. Owner Michael Douglas is a world renowned star and would hardly make announcements for the sheer heck of it. It is very disappointing that the Opposition has, through their bizarre questions, essentially chosen to attack the credibility of someone who is committed to Bermuda and job creation for Bermudians.

The project’s developer, Seth Weinstein of Olympic Property Partners added: “Whether you call it a ‘groundbreaking’ or commencement ceremony, the fact is that the activity starting on Wednesday marked the beginning of the redevelopment of Ariel Sands the first phase of the development being the demolition of the existing structures.

“I am completely confident that as we finish our plans for the project and move through the process, we are going to create a wonderful and exciting addition to Bermuda to be opened in the Spring of 2017.

“It is a very detailed process to move from conceptual design to design development and then to construction drawings. We will be going through that process in an extremely deliberative way making sure that working with our local architects and engineers that we do everything appropriately, properly and carefully.”