Developer rejects NCC’s order for road EIA
Wetlands near Midland Acres, Grand Cayman
(CNS): The National Conservation Council’s requirement that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted before government commits to constructing ten miles of highway to support the proposed Ironwood golf project has been rejected by the developers. At a general meeting Wednesday, the council voted to accept recommendations that an EIA was needed, not least because the road will cut through critical wetland habitat. But the management team behind the proposed golf resort said this requirement would kill the project, which they claimed was due to start in December.
In its recommendations to the NCC, the Department of Environment pointed out that the proposed ten-mile extension of the east-west arterial will cross a substantial area of mangrove wetland.
“As the ecological heart of Grand Cayman, the Central Wetland Mangrove is critical to many important natural processes which are vital to the long-term well-being of the residents of the Cayman Islands,” the DoE wrote in its recommendations to the council.
But the Ironwood developers claim they were about to sign a deal with government at the beginning of December and had planned to start clearing the proposed resort site. Undertaking an EIA, they said, would cause further delays. “Funding has been in place for over two years, but missing the December deadline for a signed agreement could jeopardise that funding and essentially kill the project,” officials said in a release responding to the EIA order.
Ironwood also claimed that after negotiations with the National Trust to move the road slightly to avoid its land and the Mastic Trail, it will not pass through any national parks or protected areas. However, the area has been designated an Important Bird Area as it supports at least 1,500 West Indian Whistling-ducks, which is 83% of the Cayman Islands’ population of the globally significant species, as well as the endemic Cayman Parrot.
In response to the National Roads Authority, which has also said there is no need for an EIA, the DoE raised several major concerns about that agency’s claims and plans not to undertake an EIA.
The environment experts said they could find no record of the road in the 1997 Development Plan as claimed and suggested the corridor was proposed as part of the 2003 Amendments to the 1997 Development Plan, which were never adopted. But more importantly, the DoE pointed out that the gazetted route was not informed by any ecological or environmental assessment, “contrary to best practice and legal obligations”.
Answering a memo from Alan Jones, the chief officer in the ministry of planning, regarding the proposed plans for the road and what could be a public private partnership if the deal goes ahead, the DoE said that just because the NRA has never conducted an EIA for a road before does not mean that it should not start doing so.
“What took place in the past should not be considered as justification for continuing the practice if it is demonstrably flawed. The construction of a 10 mile stretch of a major arterial road through an environmentally important wetland area would trigger the requirement globally for an EIA, and now does so in Cayman,” the environment experts stated.
With government claiming there is no other route for this road but through the wetlands, the DoE stressed how important an EIA was to assess that claim and to see what could be mitigated if the government presses ahead with the deal.
“The EIA will likely result in further iterations of the layout as baseline data is acquired regarding issues such as drainage patterns, habitat type, presence of protected species, geotechnical investigations, etc. Not only is this information important in order to minimize environmental impacts, but also to ensure that robust costings for the project,” the government department stated.
It added that an EIA is the proper method for comprehensively and transparently assessing impacts and identifying, quantifying and costing mitigation measures to avoid, minimise or mitigate significant environmental effects, as it warned government not to enter into any deal without undertaking an EIA.
The department also sounded the alarm about opening land along the 10-mile stretch of road on the edge of an ecologically important area, as this raises more environmental and socioeconomic issues. “This would normally come forward through a long-range planning process articulated in the form of a national development plan, which would take account of the projected need for social infrastructure,” the experts noted.
The DoE also pointed out the challenges the road poses to Cayman’s global environmental commitments. “The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR)…commits contracting parties to formulate and implement their planning so as to promote the conservation and wise use of all wetlands in their territory, through means such as conducting environmental impact assessments before transformations of wetlands…”
Given the detailed concerns raised by the DoE, the conservation council supported the call and said that it required an EIA in accordance with the National Conservation Law.
In its statement however, it was clear that Ironwood officials are not happy about the new condition, stating that road was vital to the success of the resort that they have claimed will be important to the local economy. There is however, considerable skepticism that the full project, as described by the developers, would ever come to fruition and if it does how much local people will benefit from such a development.
See full statement from Ironwood, the DoE’s recommendations along with the memo from Alan Jones in the CNS Library.
Category: development, Local News
“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.”
Oscar Ameringer
(1870-1943) German-American politician, socialist & writer
Wow those landowners are going to be rich. After the road is built they will be able to sell it for at least CI$30,000 per acre, right? Wow, oh wait a minute, could it be that is what the fuss is about ? Maybe the people who are complaining the most who don’t own land in the Central Mangrove ,maybe their property elsewhere might not sell? How much is an acre GT to West Bay? Room for thought!
Why isn’t an EIA being required for the actual massive development?
Now let’s discuss the other none entity Beach Bay where there is no progress. Like Ironwood it is a none starter. Go look see for yourself Just a pile of marl. The CPA cannot see the wood for the trees.
The CPA is not in charge of actually building these things don’t you know.
The CPA approve projects and have the responsibility of monitoring progress. Did u not know.
You are right Dick Turpin building new roads to accomodate even more cars thats all and enrich corrupt politicians and their friends who are buying up choice pieces in its path and allowing the national trust/DOE the rest to drive up the prices on their plot of lands is very clever indeed. The Bermuda Model for ownership rights and accessiblity should be implement in Cayman to help manage the vehicle/traffic situation before it gets out of hand here.
I cant believe there are no direct flights to Bermuda for you.
When in Bermuda do as Bermudians do.
You in Cayman bobo.
Yes Jotnar you are right they didn’t burn it, but they paid their political friends big money $$$$ to remove 250,000 cubic yards in which they took 50,000 cubic yards and buried the rest.They also stop MC restoration from continuing to deal with the mess. It was not US scientist it was WHO scientist out of Jamaica Dr Mong if the new media is correct check your facts bobo! “Acceptable levels” Check the agriculure Dept about Mr Powell cows to see if they have acceptable levels of Cancer while you are at it too???
Part of this so called Ironwood site was used to process Hurricane Ivan debris. Some need to check with Mr Charles Powell to see how that worked out for him. PPM Govt minions said the contamination levels were acceptable!!!!
Think it was a review by some scientists from the US that found the level acceptable ( and it wasn’t the ppm that burnt th material material used to ash for fertilizer either).
Ironic cayman brac and little cayman winning all the tourism awards. Maybe too much development on grand cayman????
The new road is not necessary. There is an already un-congested road on which you can nearly always get up to the speed limit. If additional capacity is needed, widen the existing road – it’ll be cheaper, take less time to build and be easier and much less environmentally damaging.
Why not do that?…..Oh yes, the poster at 9.18am was correct, the big landowners of presently inaccessible/barely accessible wetlands and central land will not see their values double or triple. This is a purely political issue and for the enrichment of owners other than those of Ironwood.
Please don’t let the statement “Funding has been in place for over two years . . ” make you believe that the developer was going to fund this road; that is not the plan. He may have the “bridge financing” in place to fund the construction but the people of these islands would fund the road.
Just like your bank has been trying to get you to take out a mortgage for two years to build your own house – you know what happens after the house is built? I’m sure you do.
The play on words . . . . .
The Government enacted the National Conservation Law without much thought as to the implications. So now that it has been enacted, it has to be enforced.
As for EIA’s for road projects, happens all the time. Just do a google search http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTRANSPORT/Resources/336291-1107880869673/chap_1.pdf
https://www.scribd.com/doc/28521263/Environmental-Impact-Assessment-for-Highway-Projects
The real problem is whether the DOE has sufficient and appropriate resources to deal with oversight of any EIA. In addition, the process needs to be clearly understood by ALL parties from the outset EIA’s are expensive and potentially time-consuming. If the DOE’s process is not developed or published yet, then they better do so asap. You can’t make it up as you go along and you can change the goal posts and you can’t use the process to stop or delay development.
What this self serving government needs to do is to try and deal with the land it contaminated belonging to Mr Powell where it then lied about the level of contamination is at “acceptable levels” and explain why his animals grazing on the land are inundated with cancer. Why? because part of the so called Ironwood site was used to store the same hazardous materials that was buried on his site. I wonder if the environment minister and his team have any comment.Other than i did put it there!
I hate to say this … but SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE WITH OUR HIGH VOLUMN OF TRAFFIC!
Can we not build enclosed roads or bridges through these wetlands, so the wildlife of these wetlands are not harmed by car smog, and at the same time we remedy our congested traffic problem??? Can we not think win-win here for man and nature??? :/
@8:13 am.
The answer is very simple- Public Transportation. Bermuda has an excellent one, no need to invent a bicycle.
Bermuda again bobo? I thought that is someplace in the Atlantic if you want to move there.
Would there be an EIA needed to make the north side farm road Ezzard wants for his tribe? We all know the answer to that one.
All the other roads got built wetlands, ironwood, flood zones, mangroves be damned. Now some expats want to build a road and what happens? Not today Bobo. If it wasn’t the EIA that they just thought of it would be something else. Everyone knows why it won’t get done. Ignorance.
If these developers reject that which is a need for a study on the environmental impact which this road (to say nothing of the development itself) will have then there can be no doubt for any right thinking individual that the developers and their proposed development has to flatly rejected in exactly the same manner. One has to wonder just who in the hell these people think they are. If this is their attitude then the whole project in it’s entirety should be laid to rest just as the late designer of said golf course has been.
Perhaps the most damaging aspect of paved highways is that they spawn networks of secondary roads, which spread further environmental destruction.
Central Mangrove is not really high land my piece is about 1’4″ above sea level. If what the climatologists tell us is true, Then we need to bring land higher. Why are we so concerned about a EIA? At the end of the day it won’t matter, the ducks have been seen contended at the Vehicle and driving inspection center by the Baptist Church. Can any of you experts explain? They were transferred many times back to the pond in the swamps and still came back. We never had a EIA when Gina’s dad was pushing for a MGTP back 30-40 years ago? Why ?What’s wrong with all the development in all the swamplands around the island? If its bad should we knock them down now?
If its bad for Ironwood then its bad for everybody, right?
By the way I was trying to vote on this page and for some reason it kept saying I already voted.
The ducks come back to Vehicle Licensing because they feed them.
There were no EIAs done previously (even on the actual Ironwood development) because there was no Law for it.
Any other mean-spirited, ad hominin, conspiracy theories you want to try and deflect attention with?
They said that the ducks were never fed. They don’t need a EIA you just want control over development. I’m not being mean you are. Sir Vassel Johnson and Jim Bodden said this would happen. They tried to warn Caymanians .
Unless Ironwood owners will be the only people permitted to drive on this road, its of national importance to the whole country. Cabinet can overrule this rubbish ruling and it states that in the law for exactly this purpose. Get on with it already!
Government has made a real mess of this one. See what happens when you don’t read the law before you pass it?
No, this isn’t a problem with the Law. Its a problem of planning (not the Department). The Premier said Govt. would do an EIA (and an OBC) because that’s the right way to do things, so just get on and do them and stop making XXXXX go on like they own the place. As someone else said, would Mr. Moffit try this in USA? Then why do we let him run roughshod over us?
Well done Gina. We need more caymanians like you that will stand up to protect our island and for generations to come. I could understand if this road would assist the island on a national level such as alleviating the traffic in the morning in the prospect area and in the red Bay Area in the evenings. If I was to guess why this road is so important to the developers, check and see who owns the land around the 10 mile stretch. I wonder if this is how mr. Moffit develops property in the USA with disregard to the environment?
We must reserve something for the generations to come and our wetlands must be protected. Failing this, every reasons why people come to our shores will be lost forever and we will be just like any other Caribbean island.
I have read through the statement that is attached and it does not state that the golf course/hotel project will not start if there is no road deal. It looks like they are just talking about the road itself? makes it easier if the facts are right!
You really have to have a heart for this developer. All through the years he has jumped hurdle after hurdle to bring this project forward. He is still here – he hasn’t disappeared, which deserves credit.
A real community minded fellow isn’t he!!!
And status!
what hurdles?…he’s holding out for the most concessions he can get associated with the road….and also wants to do everything without an EIA…..
Oh yes lets get him a OBE!
It doesn’t take a year to do an EIA. We know there will be damage. Just get on with it then decide whether you still want to do it.
It is unfortunate to learn of the requirement of an Environmental Impact Assessment prior to the start of construction of any proposed highway. However, it seems to me such a study is important for the future quality of life on Grand Cayman. There are all kinds of reasons to require the study, as well as some questioning why it just now is being brought up.
Nevertheless, the great impact the road and the project itself will have on the island is such that all precautions should be taken at this point — prior to any construction — rather than allowing unchecked development today only to find out tomorrow that development was a huge mistake.
Has it occurred to anyone that the reason there is so much flooding on the island today, is because unchecked development was allowed years ago? Mother nature will forgive us our sins only for so long, then she will become fed-up and take things into her own hands. Usually the results are not good for humans.
If the developer pulls out and the project is actually feasible, someone else will come along. If no one else does, then the project isn’t as feasible as claimed.
It is a shame that our politicians do not think like you, Mr. Barnett. At some point we have to accept that our runaway , uncontrolled, poorly managed development growth has to stop. We think of development as the cure all, the magic drug to our success. In fact we very well might OD on this “prescription” for success.
Someone should be accountable for this. Did the Ministry’s top beauracrat who is a land expert advise Minister Kurt Tibbetts that an EIA should be done from the start of the project?
At this point in time, with Cayman’s fast changing landscape; it is reasonable to say that proper restrictions and policies must be considered for all proposed development projects.
Ever square inch of this island is either developed, under developed, in planning with proposed development or some developer has their eye on a vacant parcel.
Grand Cayman is a small dot in the sea, the land itself is quite unstable and if anyone has been observing the coastline in parts of East End and North Side they will see significant erosion (there is a super secluded spot that we used to go swimming just last July in East End, went back a few weeks ago and the entire sandy cove is gone!) – it is obvious the global environmental changes are taking a toll on this very susceptible little Caribbean plot of mountain in the ocean.
It is good that the DoE is moving cautiously, but I doubt their recommendation is going to halt this proposal. Everyone loves a new road; but all development which destroys natural habitations must be assessed, no one wants a delay in their project, but the very reason people loved visiting Cayman is being stripped away.
Cayman was once exclusive, the place people came to enjoy nature amidst modern convenience, our visitors loved the view of the ocean during their car drives – now there are VERY few places where you can simply stick your head out of the car window and enjoy the salty air because buildings are blocking the view. (Actually, I can’t think of any stretch of road where one can do this now…)
We urgently need a development plan!
Developers must be encouraged to build greener properties, utilize recycled material, incorporate the natural landscape in to their proposed projects and add habitats for the local species in some way.
Instead of adding hundreds of palm trees and plants only useful to the eye, developers should be made to introduce native fruit-bearing trees in all their developments at the equivalent number of any other non-edible plant, this would also benefit the owners of the properties who buy strata AND heavily increase the value of the real estate!
Imagine if every palm tree planted across this island within a condo/hotel/corporate development was a mango tree, tamarind tree, ackee tree or the like?
I believe we would be in much better shape environmentally and health-wise.
I am guessing the deterrent for doing this would be the uninvited trespassers reaching in for a fruit; but if there were thousands of fruit-bearing trees planted all over this island, the occasional visitor wanting a few would be a welcomed passer-by because the surplus of healthy, GMO-free local produce would be widespread and bountiful and waste would be eliminated by sharing – this would also reduce the need for constant gardening of the area to remove rotting fruit from under trees etc.
Government also needs to offer funding and learning opportunities to our young people for farming, provide lease opportunities for crown land to be developed in to commercial farms and remove our dependency on imported, processed, poisoned items disguised as edible material!
Cayman should step out and become an example for the world as a country with its eyes set on going green! We are a super small territory, implementing policies should not take 20 years and should not command a team of consultants! The legislation is there for the tweaking!
As for the garbage situation – our Government has several garbage trucks, give the community a 6 month deadline to get 4 garbage pans in front of their yards (one for plastic, one for metal, one for paper, one for unrecyclable material) – encourage households to have the proper recycling bins inside their homes and then to segregate their waste accordingly.
Then each household could take the garbage out and pop it in to the appropriate bin – each dump truck could be color coded to match the type of waste it collects and households could be required to have the relevant bin match the said truck – this week the truck could circle and collect the plastic waste, then the paper waste truck would spin by some time a few days or week later and so on – I do not see why it would take 3 years to get such a policy going!
Then the dump could be divided in to the same 4 categories; when an appropriate amount of metal is collected, it can be exported and sold; when a good amount of plastic is collected that can be exported and sold – the dump would in turn become revenue generating.
The government would simply need to enter agreements with companies who buy the said recyclable goods and institute a shipping policy to deal with it!
I am confident this would cost millions of dollars less than anything proposed presently by our Government and it is very fast and easy to implement – I’d say within 9 months every household in Cayman could get this going with Governments help, encouragement and appropriate policies!
Everyday mount trashmore’s peak extends to reach the sky – I do not think this issue can wait until 2020 for a viable solution to be implemented and an industrial incinerator on a 70+ square mile island may not be particularly ideal.
I also know a very quick and easy way Government can get a handle on those garbage fee delinquencies too – and it did not take a graduate degree for me to come up with that.
Not sure what these people do in office for 4 – 20 years anyway…
I agree with you what you’ve said has been and are being implemented / done in many other countries there is new concepts of progress / development that are much more ecologically friendly and moving away from fossil fuel dependency etc, also tweaked with some of the same ideas you mention. We have to change the way we’ve been developing / progressing to a much more greener and earth friendly way to save future land and trees for more oxygen and help to attract rain to maintain more green. – JY
What are you talking about delinquent garbage fees? Every citizen of this country pays their garbage fees whenever they buy something in this island that is not locally made.
When McKeeva stopped the direct garbage fee billings it was not because we would not be paying more into Governments coffers to get their garbage collected, he just cleverly hid the increase in garbage fees into the 2% hike in import duty to cover the cost. Government now collects a lot more from this hike, specific to pay for garbage collection, than it ever collected from direct garbage fees.
You should get your facts straight before posting garbage (pardon the pun)
PS. CNS please fix the voting buttons so that I can vote like or dislike to a post. Presently I can only vote LOL or Troll.
CNS: It will be fixed but not until next week probably. The IT outfit that created the buttons is in India where there is currently a three-day holiday.
This project is a pipe dream. This is just the latest excuse by the developers. If it is a commercially viable project then completing an EIA will not be a deal-breaker.
Mark my words, Government will back-down from this threat by “big-money” developers. The same Gov’t which recently passed the National Conservation Law will shrink back cowardly in favour of the $$$ in fees that this project will bring it’s coffers! Wait, I believe there were some waivers granted, so some fees will not be collected.
But nevertheless, in expectation of the future work permit fees generated by the project and other faux “benefits to Caymanians”, Government will back down. PPM will perhaps kick this can down the road so they won’t be seen to be cowards and then UDP/CDP will give in to the big money!!
Your ignorance is “marked”.
I honestly see zero reason for having another 10 mile stretch of road build. Why can’t they get access to this from Frank sound Road? There are not traffic jams coming down from Eastern Districts until you get close to town.
Government is already struggling to maintain roads……………
This is what Cayman has come to! Developers are telling Cayman Government how it goes not the other way around.
They often make a lot of promises to get certain requirements waived and at the end the hold not true. Government then has little to no recourse to enforce what was originally agreed or perhaps they just don’t have the balls to do so.
Look at the guy who built his staircase almost onto South Sound Road. What is going to be done about it? Will it be another “exception” given………Or is someone actually going to uphold the regulations regarding set-backs?
yawn….i’ll put this project in the same category as as the imaginary cayman enterprise city…….
Umm.. Enterprise City has been built. It is almost ready for occupancy. So what was that you were saying?
Yawn
where is it built? belly lag
I guess you don’t drive around the CNB roundabout by Elgin avenue very much. Unless the ‘Enterprise City’ nearly finished being built there is a different ‘Enterprise City’ than the one you’re dreaming about…
yes it is….sorry for your confusion….
this project has been a disaster from day 1… how many start dates have they missed???
the last we heard in the summer was that the road was not needed for the development and the developer was going to start work on the golf course in october……
why is a central highway needed? …to save 5 mins drivetime for their potential clients????
nothing about this project has ever made sense….
Question: Why is a central highway needed?
Answer: It’s needed so that the landowners in the area will have access to their land and they can sell it for those Cayman dollars which they love so much. It seems to me that I once read where some were high ranking government officials.
Yes! It is rumored that Some of The Progressives got lots of property in the vicinity of the development!!!
Hello. The people of Frank sound and the people of East end need this road. Its not all about what you need(in West bay) or what the golf course needs. You still think its easy to get anything built or done correctly in a third world backwater of a country? Try to make enough money here so you can travel and see how the rest of the world operates.
Actually, it is all about what the developer wants. It is the developer threatening Government. Government (the Premier, two years ago) said they would do an EIA & OBC so that all of the costs & benefits of the road could be assessed, e.g., how much time will it really cut off on your drive to/from the East (& how much cash will it really cost to build). But the developer doesn’t want that information known to Government or the public. Ask yourself why?
if this has to be done, and i dont believe it does, has anyone given any thought to building a causeway OVER the protected area?
places like Louisiana have built causeways instead of just clearing out swamps.
It would be more expensive and cause some disruption to the areas, but the long term effect might be less.
You are reading my mind
Plus! That would just be so cool!!! Sidewalks and bike allowances would be a great addition to this.
If dart built it with his own money (or rather with future concessions) i would really like the idea and I would be inclined to believe that it would be feasible. However, since road is govt/NRA/Questionable developer partnership, I think there is a higher chance neither the road or the resort will be built.
It will have the same faith as shteti hospital which needed larger runways to accommodate the thousands of air tourists daily. The turtle farm which was expanded to accommodate for the thousands of daily tourists docking in west bay, dragon bay, larger planes to the Brac etc… the only developer that seems to get stuff done is dart.
Scary how much power this man will have but no one is stepping up to the plate and by default conceding to Dart to build us everything.
He owns an entire strip of land from sound to sea from camana bay to royal palms dissecting west bay from GT. Wonder when he’ll decide to ask for a toll crossing the bridge.
GT is all empty buildings which will sell cheap (thanks to dart poaching all businesses to camana bay), great opportunity for Dart to create another Camana bay downtown dirt cheap. That will be next.
This will set a grave precedence if the EIA is not carried out. Other developers will be lining up to bulldoze the Central Mangrove. NRA need to show some environmental responsibility. Ignorance should not make you immune from the process.
This is totally disgusting that it has come to the point that Government at first was going to allow them to rip through the mangroves. But look at west bay road, it is completely destroyed by Public Beach, CIG allowed to much unnecessary development to be done on this Island. There is nothing pretty left on this Island. One Hurricane or even a bad Nor-Wester with rain for a few days will leave this Island flooded. We could have put a cap on certain things, but nope….greed got the best of this Island and that is why we are where we are today. Camana Bay isnt no great thing, that monstrosity Kempton Project is just that a monstrosity high rise apartments in the Cayman Islands, I remember when the Westin was being built couldn’t be hire than the tallest coconut tree. Our standards have gone down the tubes!!!!
Sounds like you need to leave and find someplace that you can still be happy about. Remember that progress is what runs society and you can’t fight it and win and its everywhere. There are however great rewards for those who can integrate into society and go with the flow. You might want to leave a better world for your kids to grow up in then what you had.
2:01 pm You call it Progress? How about self-destruction?
So true, put your uniform on and get in the program!
Lots of stuff that was done in the past is and was way worse then this little road job. Just as much ignorance then as now. Your kids will someday need that road to get to their home, job, or visit you. Their kids might need the jobs that golf course will bring. But you are right also so we will all wait and see if This finally kills the road deal and we’ll wait for NRA to add some lanes or put in more two lane highways.
This conservation group is trying to stop all development going east. I knew as soon as they had there meeting years ago. Mr Jim Bodden and Haig Bodden tried to build that road from their time .
But the road we now enjoy coming from West Bay to town was a different story as the players bought the land surrounding that road so that they could benefit. It also went through swamp, amazing no EIA or protest to stop that 4 lane highway .
That’s because it was Dart, Dingdong
Dart does not ask government for permission. He Tells government what he is going to do and what gov needs to do to make it possible. Our politicians worship money and Dart “has more that money than God” as the old saying goes.
The Everglades restoration, protection and preservation plan in SF comes at a cost of $10.5 billions. Learn from someone else’s mistakes.
They are developing this island as if there is no tomorrow.
This project has been on the table for years, and only now do the DOE speak up? Bit late to start worrying it would appear, they should have been asking for this two or three years ago. Unless of course it is a deliberate ploy to kill off the project
2 years…
The Premier promised an EIA in March 2014.
Good for the NCC and the DOE to stand up to gross negligence while developing this island.
Another developer holding our government ransom. If they are not willing to do an EIA then I say let the project die!
We need this; bulldoze, bulldoze AND bulldoze!!!!!
Obviously, the National Conservation Council doesn’t care about traffic in the Eastern districts. They must all live in the heart of George Town or along Dart’s bypass.
They asked Ironwood to alter the road plans about 2 years ago, so Ironwood complied by shifting it around some important vegetation. Now the NCC is asking for more. You, the NCC, are not doing proper business! Stop moving the target and think about the big picture. The population out here in Newlands, BT, NS and EE is not shrinking and we need this road Pronto!
A solution to the severe eastern traffic lands in our laps but they decide that being ignorant with their power is the best course of action. Good job, people.
Except the NCC didn’t exist two years ago. And an EIA has been obviously needed since day 0. So stop whining and just do it right.
They can build dozens of new eastern highways, but they all have to funnel into one junction in Red Bay. You do understand how a funnel works right?
So you will still have to get going by 6am and only your scenery will change.
Build a flyover – an expensive but absolutely necessary solution to the Red Bay problem.
Find the money by simply substituting the new “highway” with an extension to the EW arterial over the mostly dry land as far as Pease Bay as an unpaved road, or chip and spray. The horrendous snarls due to accidents etc. can be resolved for a few more years.
Truthseeker
Why wasn’t this EIA done long ago ? Seems like constant red tape. Wasn’t a road planned along the same route for years ? That district needs to be developed people. Wetlands, give me a break.
The NRA has just created a new series of “artificial lakes” with the recent road paving project in Pease Bay. What a disaster. Do we really want to rely on government experts for this new project through an environmentally sensitive area?
If the PPM Govt wants to approve a new corridor without trampling all over its supposed conservation credentials it would be best advised to take the road through, or as near as possible to, land that has already been excavated, quarried or farmed or slated for future landfill use and stay far away from conservation areas further inland.
Of course, history tells us that the route followed by a new highway is, more often than not, determined by who owns property along the way (aka favoured voters).
Better let them build that road or the gravy train will come to a screeching halt. Who cares about some old trees and wetlands. We need development man; just keep them natives on the reservation!
You are an idiot
Maybe but got me a job with the big developers!!!!!
Ha Ha Ha
11.40am, calm down chum. I believe that was sarcasm.
A serious idiot.
The developers XXXXX objection shows precisely why a thorough EIA is needed as a pre-condition because they clearly are putting dollar self-interest before the interests of the wider community and the local environment.
You mean just like all the Caymanian developers that developed all the rest of Cayman and are are still going full tilt with nothing stopping them? Especially not anything to do with the environment or peoples rights. We get it. They are entitled to self interest but expats are not. No one that has lived here for at least a year thought they would build the road. Caymanians don’t golf.