Dart pulls up rock from Seven-mile Beach
Dart Real Estate removing beachrock off Seven Mile Beach north of Kimpton Seafire
(CNS): Dart Real Estate had its excavators on Seven Mile Beach Wednesday as it undertook a controversial trial to take samples of beachrock from the shoreline on its land north of the new Kimpton resort. Despite advice against the work by the Department of Environment as well as the National Conservation Council and opposition from local activists, the islands’ billionaire developer was given approval for the test by Cabinet. With a chunk of the rock now removed, Dart officials said in a release on its website that the samples will be studied by a geologist.
Dart is hoping that once they confirm the samples as beachrock, it will get permission from Cabinet to remove the whole lot ahead of another proposed luxury beachfront resort on the very last stretch of Seven Mile Beach not to go under the bulldozer.
The developer claims it is seeking a way to remove the rock in a way that is “safe and least impactful on the marine and beach environment”, something experts say is impossible.
The DoE has indicated that the rock in this location is not a benign unimportant part of the beach ecosystem and that removing it will not only have an impact on the marine life in the area attracted by the rock but could undermine the stability of the beach — not just on the wealthy investor’s land but the surrounding beachfront property as well.
Local environmental experts are also exceptionally concerned about the precedent that the trial, let alone a full-scale removal, would set. This all comes at a time when conservationists are urging government to control development before the very last of the islands’ natural resources are lost forever.
In its first annual report since it began operating under the National Conservation Law, the National Conservation Council (NCC) recorded its deep concerns about the Cabinet decision to allow this excavation trial.
The council, which is opposed to the preliminary investigation that took place Wednesday as well as the main aim to remove it all, pointed out that this is a marine reserve and it would set a damaging coastal works precedent in a place where none should ever be permitted. The area itself is also “ecologically, culturally and recreationally important” and beach rock provides protection from erosion and wave risks.
The NCC also questioned why Dart Real Estate had not provided any alternative to the rock removal and said the trial was unnecessary. As far back as 2003 the NCC said reports commissioned by government had recommended that “no development should be permitted seaward of the historical vegetation line” on local beaches, with the obvious exception of jetties and docks, but even those should not be allowed on Seven Mile Beach.
Local activist group Save Cayman have postponed a demonstration this Saturday at the location but with over a 1000 signatures on the petition the public appears opposed to Cabinet granting Dart approval to remove the rock for its proposed development. It also posted video footage on its Facebook page of this week’s trial when what appeared to be a significant amount of rock was removed.
However, Dart is keen to press ahead as the site has been identified for a another hotel, which they claim would represent “$600 million in economic impact during construction, add room stock and play a major role in ensuring a pipeline of employment for the construction industry and growth”.
During this test, Vice President of Special Projects for Dart Development, Ken Hydes, said the excavator was able to easily remove sections of rock, which appear to be stratified as cemented sand over a small layer of peat.
“It’s remarkable how thin the layers of beach rock actually are,” he said. “Only a few of the pieces we observed were more than a foot thick.”
Category: development, Local News, Marine Environment, Science & Nature
HERE YOU GO. THE REASON FOR ALL THIS: http://www.caribjournal.com/2016/12/11/best-beach-in-the-caribbean/?utm_source=Caribbean+Journal&utm_campaign=9cda53801e-Caribbean+Journal&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ea4e1e4090-9cda53801e-188742717
So much fuss and attention to this project (if one happens). Who cares! Put your focus and energy into forces that can have a dramatic impact on the caymanian people, today & tomorrow. Fight for local rights, better education that’s available to everyone, make the Caymanian people so intelligent and respected that no outside entity (or current island business) would dare try to take advantage of your nation. The problem is you are represented by a few, and they are all for sale to the highest bidder. But if you infuse Cayman people into every level of business, over time I bet you’d keep things a little straighter and on the up-and-up. Your old-works mentality can stay constant with advancement.
And, the DOE should be one of the strongest and demanding pieces in your government, but it’s not. In most cases, you wouldn’t even know they exist. That’s a problem when you’re recognized not just as a financial epicenter or to have gorgeous beaches, but the world knows of your underwater world. At least, what is left. Cayman should set the bar for all others when it comes ecology.
What is the point of living in this so called paradise if one have to fight on so many fronts?
Relaxing in a hammock under a palm tree knowing that all is well is my idea of living in paradise.
The sight of an excavator pulling up lumps of SMB is a sad image and a sign of the times.
“Our geologist says it’s worthless beach rock and they should know. We paid them enough.”
So stop a road that is needed by many, but allow the want of one to go through without an EIA?
Coastal works licencing is totally in the hands of the Cabinet
Have been saying all along that since Dart has permission to take out that 25′ wide area let that be ALL that comes out and since they want this to allow peeps to get to the nicer areas beyond that should be wide enough.What I am saying is they should agree to a compromise and leave it at that .In my humble opinion if they go ahead and let them take it all out the beach will erode as this area is visited by currents as is most if not all of 7mb.True we do not know for sure that erosion will occur but best to err on the side of caution
Peter
Well said. Having lived on SMB since 1978 you are quite correct in your views. Brian Butler took out the sand rock at Discovery Point in 1980 and I can tell you what the effect was. Of course in those days no one complained. The real problem facing us today is that the CPA overrule the law and regulations. This is best illustrated by the Thompson Purple Piss Pot by the fish market. The CPA effectively waived the set back to nil so there could be a Car Park.i should add that the board does not understand the law and regulations.
The sooner the CPA board is replaced with Honourable Men, the better. Let us hope the next government does that and takes note as to what the last auditor general said about the CPA. Of course no changes took place and Dan went on his merry way.
Transparency rules ok.
Purple Piss Pot?! funniest post ever
SMB SOB
He’s unstoppable!!
No he’s not. Our politicians are lilly-livered.
This is the same reason the beaches are eroding. Money hungry maggots
One more reason, as if we needed one, to utterly detest Dart, the greed machine! (Actually ‘detest’ is too mild a word.) When will the PPM government wake up? We pay the DoE & NCC a bundle for their expertise – now, FOR PITY’S SAKE – LISTEN TO THEIR ADVICE AND ACT ON IT!!
Say it how it is- “dart digs up ancient reef”
You know what is so amazing is to see that the other hotels on seven mile beach have put artificial reefs in place to attract our marine life for their guests and here we have a natural ledge formation and they want to remove it. They should not even had been granted cabinet approval to do this test. I remember in the 90’s the Reef Resort now called the Wyndham hotel here in East End tried to remove a similar ledge formation but was refused by the then cabinet called Exco and this has not turned away their guests, To the contrary the guests enjoy the natural snorkeling experience, Tourist could easily swin on either side of this reef as we all locals have done for years and at the same time have a natural ledge to enjoy snokeling. We as a people need to educate those that try to change our ways of living here in the Cayman Islands and let them know that we might not be perfect but obviously we did something right that has attracted them to our shores in the first place and all we are asking is for a little respect.
Have him remove the sea wall that has ruined the beach at Tiki Beach as an offset.
This was a nice mini reef. Shoulda been the krakens bollocks
Waikiki beach in Hawaii used to be a swamp. It is a man made beach that has made billions for Hawaii and millions of happy tourist. Hawaiians were smart enough to embrace change and education. They in turn are a big part of the progress in their home islands. Caymanians on the other hand can not and will not keep up with progress and end up being an bump in the road in the future of this island. You can not embrace the future if you can’t let go of your past.
We already have one of the most beautiful beaches n the world. Why should we allow them to do something to put that beach at risk. We are trying to avoid having to rebuild our beach later.
You obviously have no sense
For us Caymanians, to stand up once in a while to try and protect such a valuable asset as our ecosystem, is backward thinking or stuck in the past, then I guess you are an Einstein!! I would love to see your other suggestions on moving forward. To compare a swamp to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, wow!! I am not sure where you are from, but can you say that your country can compare to this tiny rock of one hundred square miles and approximately 65,000 persons. We are the fifth financial center in the world, think maybe that is from being stuck in the past or maybe it is called progress? We are one of the safest places to live in the world, do you think this is progress? We have approximately half of a million stay over tourist visit us yearly, most for our beautiful beaches and pristine waters and corals, think this is backward thinking? Sometimes, what we consider advancement, can be backward thinking and destructive, causing a lot more social deterioration than anything else. I, personally, would love to see the seven mile beach remain as it is, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!!! It would be a lot better to live in the past than to advance stupidly into the future!!
Some great responses here to Joe B’s comment.
What’s easier said than done to your leaders: STOP BEING GREASED BY MONEY! Cayman is beautiful for a reason. In fact, it offers the best of both worlds, a balance between advancement and old world mentality. However, eyeing Advancement 100% of the time has gotten many entities into more trouble than good…just look North to my US country. The “innovation” forced down kids in school has had its affect. Children have become antisocial and will eventually lose any/all abilities to hold meaningful conversations. Their respect for anything and anyone is dwindling, and that deserving attitude most recent college graduates carry is offensive. I know I’m rambling and took this subject off pace, but what I’m saying is to slow down, put the brakes on, you don’t need to do this building…it’s not going to be the difference maker. Role with what you have right now. Do not destroy your borders. You’re on an island, that bedrock is there for a reason, finding its way there millions of years ago because it has a role to support. It really can be that simple…
Hawaii restricted all hotels from being built on the sea side of Waikiki beach. All hotels are on the land side of the main road. Hawaiians were smart in that regards as it is the unlimited access to the beach and culture and people that made them billions
Excuse me but I don’t know where you getting your information from, concerning the native population of Hawaii. Having lived and worked in Hawaii for over 5 years, I can tell you that you are wrong, when it comes to the local population reaping any benefits economically.
Please don’t think just because they are half way around the world from is, we wouldn’t know what’s going on there.
Sell your inaccurate information somewhere else.
You forgot to add that Hawaii is a U.S. state , with many progressive councils & government over many years of said development , that was always looking forward. They also had big investment , probably from people just like Dart.
Cayman no longer has any sovereignty over its future development.
Caymanians are the speed bumps in the lane of progress.
It never did, it’s British
And all of Cayman’s future developments will be under the control of the Dart’s own real estate company .
Sadly.
The debtor is slave to the borrower and the CI Gov has racked up MAJOR debt with Dart that nobody is willing to talk about. If Darty says dance, they ask “what tune?”.
And any successive Government will be dragged in to the ordeal because of confidential, back-door agreements dating back since the 90s – remember the HSA employee salary scandal? The supposed public parks? The road expansions? You think Dart is doing this out of the goodness of his philanthropic heart?
Dart is a businessman and investor, he has travelled the world seeking a country stupid enough to be his call-girl and there are few places with politicians with backs as weak as Cayman – home sweet home.
Go ahead Cayman, vote them in again so they can finish selling your granny. There is not one single sitting member that I would want to see warm one of those over-priced, high-back seats!
MM you have summed it up very well.
Thanks Ken Hydes for standing up for us !!! Every dog got his day!!!
I think you got it mixed up there. How could the debtor be slave to the borrower? Aren’t they one and the same?
I wonder who the geologist are that will be confirming that these are “simply beach rocks”; probably Dart’s own team of “experts”.
Oh well, this is the nature of the beast and I am sure it will be a beautiful hotel. I doubt that Dart would want to “jeopardize the stability of SMB” considering he and his business partners have a collective of billion$ invested along that strip so I think we can all breath easy although the entire process is biased.
This is all nothing new for our two-faced Government officials, we had an identical outcry when the Ritz development was proposed, environmentalists and the community raged over the mangrove removal – what that should have taught us is that this (and the cruise port) will happen whether we cry bloody murder or not.
Let us also not forget the WB road and SM public beach – it is obvious the environment and the desires of the Caymanian public is not in the forefront of the minds of the officials our Caymanians willingly elected.
Bye mangroves, bye reef, bye beach rock – may you RIP and if you come back to haunt someone, they can be found in the LA building every Tuesday.
Plenty of beach rock in Boddentown.
Paved paradise, put up a parking lot!
That little piece of old dry up beach rock unna complaining about??? While CUC is robbing us blind, the cost of living is out of control, people killing people in broad daylight, not 2 minutes from the Police Station. Gangs and thieves stealing anything they can get their greedy little hands on, taking example from those in power. The double-dipping MLA’s, living in their Ivory Towers, are so out of touch with the needs of Cayman society, it’s downright shameful.
And all you clowns is worried about is a beach rock??? And want tear down DART every chance unna get??? When y’all up in Camana Bay every damn weekend???? Crabs, damn crabs in a bucket, sick of this place. CaymanKind my left foot.
I guess he gave you a job
An excavator to take a SAMPLE!?! Surely you could take a sample with a hammer and chisel!
I wonder how the queen feels about DART digging up her bottom!?!
Why not ask her?
Queen makes more money from a hotel than a caymanian trying to rent you a lawn chair.
Someone should seriously write a letter to the Queen!
You guys do my head in. Before every Dart project, bitch, bitch bitch about things you know little about, and then low and behold everyone loves Camana Bay, The extended ETH, the Spitfire is fantastic and full of Caymanians…Pathetic…people resistant to change are just going backwards…generally with closed minds. Not good Cayman, not good at all.
Time for your nap, troll. Lie down and rest a while.
This is a complete travesty. Dart is obviously not pleased with the way mother nature has done things and that they know a better way. When the hell are we going to stop this man from taking over our country!!! Seven Mile beach should be hands off when it comes to anything that could possibly, even a slight possibility” cause harm to it.
Soon we will have to start our day by kneeling and pledging allegiance to Darts billions. After all that is what we, as a country, are currently worshiping.
you mean your not kneeling and worshipping a figurine in darts image? For shame!
Your ignorance is the cause of your fear and jealousy. Not your fault but…..
It isn’t all of us, Mr. Anonymous 10:17. It’s mostly our greedy government leaders.
Grow up.
How many jobs has Dart created, When Dart starts.it gets done. How long was a West bay by pass in the works when Cayman was in charge. Who got it done. Camana Bay to ALs who is getting it done. Cayman needs Dart and others willing to invest to get er done. Without outside investment Cayman would still be the Islands time forgot.
Ah, ‘scuse me Ken, but what do you think rock is if not cemented sand??
The point is…it is rock, not coral.
No. The point is it protects the beach.
And the marine life that lives on and under it!
Actually if you take a sample and use a hammer on it, all it is, is compressed sand. You can reduce it to almost pure sand within seconds. Brian Butler took it out years ago on his projects. No problem nor studies then! Mind you he had little respect for his neighbors when the big buck ruled.
This developer is clearly going to get his way with this rock removal. The Dart Corp at this point owns the majority of our island and all governments from here on will be indebted to it. Thank Big Mac for that. So lets be smart and try to get something out of it other than some duties and a couple of jobs for Caymanians. Negotiate a deal where they also have to put in an artificial reef further offshore. I know as Caymanians we love our natural environment and it pains us to see it ripped out like that but we have to realize its been happening for awhile now already.
The PPM are doing the same things as UDP now that they are in charge
They all do… Red… Green… and Independents but lets not forget who is always bragging about bring Umbrella Corp to our shores… Mr. “I,I,I” himself, Keeva. At least the PPM will try to keep Dart in line… UDP will just let them gain more control of our island.
PPM talked about keeping Dart in line prior to the last election. since they came into office they are more of the same. Selling out to the guy with the “holy” money.
That’s because they are the same circus with different clowns. A show only Caymanians would pay to see.
10:04 – good suggestion. I’m sure the DOE will make those recommendations when they review the application.
The Dart company knows how to do things right and these Caymanians need to count there blessings that they have a company like this to get this little pit stop looking like a big player. Next is get that dock going, those reefs are just messed up and in the way also. Kirks will get so much more product sold and employ way more people. We are blessed to have the West Indian people also who know how to do that right also.
Thank goodness for the development!
“we have to realize its been happening for awhile now already.” This is a miserable excuse for letting something happen. Remember slavery went on for a while also but the right thing was done in abolishing it.
Artificial reefs are not necessarily an answer.
We have not seen a decent nor-wester / cold front dip down this far south in quite a while, like we used to in the mid 80’s and early 90’s , Of course Dart & his DECCO development crew were not here back then, so have not seen what a fully fledged storm can do to the beach area. Cant stop them now in this, their latest crusade .
A good number of Dart and DECCO people have been here for 20+ years and would have seen the impacts on the beach. Perhaps that’s why they are proposing to put the 5 star resort well back from the beach, like the Kimpton but unlike ALL other developments that came before it.
Seems that they were the only ones smart enough to not build their hotel directly on the beach but laid their foundation further from the edge. Finally some great property on the beach. Hopefully we can keep it clean and not look like a dump like the beaches of boddentown.
Ironic that one of the stated reasons why the WBR should be closed was because it was claimed that the sand getting onto it during bad weather was an issue. And yet then the plan is to build two high end hotels, with beach front facilities, in the same spot as the sand problem. Clearly it wasn’t deemed that much of an issue for the landscaping, but a road that it can be easily cleared from was a big problem.
I’m sure the sample will be identified as beach rock – that’s where you took it from, the beach. I can guarantee the Dart group that if the remove all this rock they won’t have a beach for their hotels and no one else will have a beach either. This, combined with dredging in George Town (if that happens) will completely destroy seven mile beach.
Do you honestly think that a company so focussed on investments would do something to destroy its bread and butter?
What’s your wager? I’ll go double or nothing.
the cave people should be more concerned about the state of public beach which has becomea dirty littered free fopr all…over-run with unlicensed vendors…..
Thank you and yes.
Ever cabana is taken by loud , liquor fuel parties while drugs are used openly to the far end of the parking lot.
Add the lude behavior and garbage left behind and we have CaymanKind indeed.
I invite any project that will offer my family a safe , clean enviornment free of degenerates and behavior acceptable only to low lying logic
Liberation will prove to fuel ignorance and disarray . Enjoy it.
Ill enjoy another successful Dart project
Let’s face it, now that the road has been moved, there is less visibility of what goes on there. It is harder to access and not as easily monitored for the various abuses (you can’t simply drive by and see what is happening) so this was bound to happen. I’m not condoning it, but it’s a result of the choice that was made.
for the naysayers:
why would dart do something to make the beach worse or interfere with his existing hotel or other proposed developments?
still waiting for an answer……..
Because he is power hungry and rich and he can! Next question?
not good enough….
Then I will quote another poster here. “GREED WITH IMPUNITY!”
9:01
GREED WITH IMPUNITY!
They don’t know what will happen if they remove the beach rock. Truth is no one on the planet knows for sure, but why risk upsetting the balance of our most precious resource in the name of a few bucks? It’s madness!
I think maybe ‘Save Cayman’ need to change their name to something like ‘Save Dart’s Cayman’.
Why launch a full scale protest assault in South Sound against Mr. Hislop and for Smith Cove, but postpone your protest against Dart’s excavation of Crown property that is on seven mile beach?
When Dart wants to dredge off seven mile beach what will you do then?
If you dont protest against this excavation by Dart, then dont bother protesting anything else, your credibility will be lost.
“the very last stretch of seven mile beach to go under the bulldozer” Thanks, as always, CNS for instructing us all how to think……
I hope that the next northwester/hurricane would remove the Seafire as far away from the spot that it is on, along with its owner and the members of Cabinet who approved the destruction.
Only thing the hurricane is going to remove is the people drinking 345’s on public beach while trying to rent you a chair.
This is a stupid comment. At least there is a government in power who knows how to get things done around here.
Its called progress lil conch whisperers ! In the end Dart has the resources to make better informed decisions than government .
600 million in economic support is welcomed anyday in my book.
And before you scream save the island from your darling lungs. Please identify a project Dart has constructed that does not have Cayman interest in mind? Do you really think he will invest without making sure he has a return .
The job will be done right.
600 million is peanuts. 7 Mile Beach is PRICELESS you clown!
Well last i checked Smb has a price tag; priceless not so much.
And 600 million realtive to this economy is more than peanuts my name calling friend. But hey lets just throw some more emotiom on the topic and see where we are in a few years.
Your obviously of no capacity to make any positive change so sit down and let the adults work
If the beach is lost forever can you calculate the lost to tourism revenue? No you can’t. That’s why the beach is PRICELESS! Now get off your high horse you clown.
Is this like the whole “if” camana bay is built argument or the “if” we reroad west bay argument? Cause so far Dart is 2 for two and cry babies 0 for two.
Like i said calm down and let the adults work.
Sorry, but Camana Bay makes Milton Keynes look nice!!!
“Rolling”….you’ve hit the nail on the head. Thanks for your refreshingly sound comments.
Rolling home after the next hurricane, lol.
nah, you got that wrong sir “lol” , I am Caymanian but the type that gets up everyday ,make sound decisions and offers my fair effort in the job market. i suppose if i am not the type that cries with my hand out SOME locals will not recognize my type.
You only have to look at his investments in retail and restaurants to see that he quite often gets it very wrong.
lol – or does he? Ever hear of loss leaders? The real money is in the rental income from offices and high end apartments. A few loss making retail and restaurants are easily offset in the grander scheme – they are amenities in the area which help drive the high per sq/ft rents.
The Progressives have sold out Cayman to Dart
William McKeeva Bush did that a long time ago my friend. He still brags about it on the radio all the time and if you let him back in power he will allow them to build the next hotel to 30 stories. Then what will the want to rip from the enviornment?
PPM has done nothing to take Cayman back form Dart.
Sold OUT
How could the PPM approve this test? The precedent it sets undermines the National Conservation Law they passed this year.
It goes to show PPM are no different from UDP. Money talks.
Sure looks like coral to me.
Just Kiddin…you are either “just kiddin” or you need glasses. No coral was dug up by Dart.
No, just marine habitat to hundreds of species that are under threat.
The world has gone mad! The rich are now to precious to look at and swim over natural rocks. What ever next?
Extorting locals and digging up the beach.
Excuse my enquiry, Ken, but are you some kind of marine geophysicist all of a sudden? Your “observation” is quite hilarious!
People complain, but then they can’t wait to spend a night at the Kimpton and line this man’s pockets. They should rename these islands the Dartman Islands.
The beginning of the end for these islands, someone in the Brac, has just completed, a project which entailed them digging up and cutting into the iron shore for a boat dock, how can government now say to others that this is not allowed. Next Dart will be in Little Cayman, digging up in the front of Hungry iguana so his mega yacht can enter the channel, all these spineless politicians should be ashamed of themselves, but money talks, and we know the rest. Next election we will vote them all out, so anyone planning on running, go for it, what the hell do we have to loose, not more than we are presently, time for a radical change in these islands, and it starts with a clean slate. We can still preserve these islands, but we have to start now, or our children and their children will not know what is culturally Caymanian, as it will be a concrete jungle, will wasteland reefs, and poisoned landfills, and water lenses
Put the rocks at the airport as a viewing stand. Put the old airport viewing gallery roof over it and evera lickle ting gonna be alright.
Approved.
It would be good to have a really big Norwester and see its impact at the removal site – it would quickly answer a lot of questions – for both sides of the argument.
LET IT RAIN.
The chickens are coming in to roost.
The fat lady is on stage.
But remember, [have no fear for atomic energy for none of them can stop the time…]
“Dart is hoping that once they confirm the samples as beachrock, it will get permission from Cabinet to remove the whole lot ahead of another proposed luxury beachfront resort on the very last stretch of Seven Mile Beach not to go under the bulldozer”
I tried to re-read this many times. Not clear. Maybe its too late in the night….
Sad day for our envorinment. Great day for Mr. Dart and the dollar wine elected government.
gimme dolla, gimme dolla, gimme dolla – of for a video of Alden and Mckeeva doing this!
Absolute bollocks this is a trial study, – excavator & loader on site hauling rock from the water. If it was a geological study designed without inducing impact surely drilling core samples as proven with glacial analysis would have been less invasive and more revealing than a pile of rock dumped on the beach. Smoke and mirrors on a grand scale -nothing short of a raging California blaze and Archimedes trying to sink ships. ‘Dart’ and ’embarrassment’ – obviously an instruction in the employee handbook somewhere when seen together to be immediately dismissed.
Thin layers of peat you say? You realize that means mangroves were growing there? You realize that means the water out front used to be in north sound – and the beach has shifted back by hundreds of feet. And you are removing the solid material that is preventing erosion in the area.
Karma Ken, karma.
Good news is there is finally some prospect of West Bay being a separate island.
Maybe one day we can finally have an island free of the thugs that live north of seven mile and those that live east of George Town. Let’s send them all to the bluffs
7:50 You will be the first to move there!! It’s full of others who have moved there !!