Trust chair resigns over Beach Bay controversy

| 24/09/2019 | 27 Comments
Cayman News Service
Andrew Gibb

(CNS): Local architect Andrew Gibb has resigned as chairman of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands because of his part in a proposed controversial project. Gibb appeared on behalf of developers seeking to build a resort in the quiet residential neighbourhood of Beach Bay on a property where turtles nest and beach access is threatened.

However, he received significant public backlash over a perceived conflict with his role as the Trust chair while promoting this coastal development.

Almost all of the resident in the planning radius and many beyond have objected to the size and scale of the proposed resort at St James Point.

Major opposition was triggered by the height of the proposed hotel and residency buildings, the requested set-back variances, the threat to public beach access and the turtles that nest there, as well as the traffic increase and the overall impact on the sleepy community, given the industrial components of the resort.

But Gibb argued strongly for the resort at a planning meeting earlier this month, which put his position as the Trust’s chair into question. While National Trust Executive Director Nadia Hardie defended Gibb, stating he provided valuable insight on planning issues for the Trust, the long-term concern about over development, especially along the coast, which the Trust and other local conservation organisations are increasingly warning about, added to the public concern about Gibb’s position.

His forceful promotion of the project in the face of concerns about excessive beachfront development, which threatens not only the environment but also the quality of life of Caymanians, stirred up considerable public controversy.

Following the National Trust’s annual general meeting last week, when members voted for their new board officials, the NGO issued a press release Tuesday saying that during the meeting Gibb “tendered his resignation from the council due to the public controversy surrounding his involvement with the proposed Beach Bay resort development”.

The Trust will be holding its first meeting with its new council in early October, when the chairman’s resignation will be discussed.

Fifteen other nominees ran for nine general council positions, and Hardie said the high caliber made for a tough decision at the vote. “I wish we could have elected all of the nominees as each had outstanding credentials and showed a real passion for protecting the Cayman Islands,” she said.

The new Trust council now includes Peter Davey (vice chair), Neil Sherlock, (treasurer), and general members Olson Anderson, Joannah Bodden Small, Patricia Bradley, Melanie Carmichael, Darvin Ebanks, Catherine Frazier, Lisa-Ann Hurlston-McKenzie, Hannah Reid and Debra Vascik. District committee chairs are Betty Bua (Little Cayman), Alice Mae Coe (West Bay), Suzan Merren (George Town), Chris Randall (Cayman Brac) and Robert Wood (Bodden Town).

For more information about the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, visit the website here


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Comments (27)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    A few points to bear in mind…

    Mr Gibb was elected as chairman of the National Trust by its members, not appointed.

    Those members knew what he does for a living when they elected him, and obviously took the view that his career as an architect is compatible with being chairman of the Trust.

    The National Trust has no standing to object or comment on the Mandarin beach bay CPA application, because it isn’t an adjoining landowner. Maybe that’s a lacuna in the law and the Trust should be given a statutory right to be heard on all such applications, but that’s a separate issue. For now, there’s no reason to suppose that the Trust council has ever had to consider this application, because the Trust has never taken any action in respect of it, so when exactly would any conflict of interest have arisen?

    The issue did arise at a meeting of the National Conservation Council, when the Trust’s representative on that body, Nadia Hardie, spoke forcibly against the problems perceived with the development. Clearly, any issue with Mr Gibb didn’t stifle her ability to speak out.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    End result is Cayman surrounded by a ring of concrete. No views unless you pay for them, very little beach access, rich politicians, thousands more immigrants and bone-broke indigenous people.
    I did not need a degree in geo-political science to come up with that, I live in the crucible.

    When global warming comes, we’ll pour concrete into your gilded cages and stave off the ocean’s rise.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Just a small correction: global warming is here. Don’t be too surprised when the people most responsible for it, are the first to use the money they made ruining the earth, to protect their destructive little selves.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Trust me, every sandy beach will be taken by these greedy developers. Please BeachBay residents, object to it, as you can see what they have done to the 7miles beach. It’s now a concrete jungle and only the greedy Politicians are profiting from the kickbacks. We the people of the Cayman Islands have no beach access. They have already started catering to the tourist and the developers too by the WB Cemetary. That’s a prime piece of beach land, they will soon go with that. Greed is the destruction of these Islands and the Politicians are the main culprits.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Every sandy beach front was owned by a Caymanian 20 years ago.. the politicians are all Caymanian.. So who are the greedy ones? We’ve got to protect and the fist line of defense should be the Trust and the Government planning authorities but everyone seems to have the short term financial gain and increased employment in their minds as opposed to what we leave for our children and children’s children.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    And rightly so. This decision should had been made from numero, day 1!

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  5. anon says:

    Where on earth did the 116 thumbs down come from on 2.44pm?. Something fishy going on here!.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The whole of this Beach Bay Resort fiasco has more rotten fish than Denmark Its about to get a whole lot more stinkier as time goes on.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Same people that use “bots” to manipulate pro port comments, hope you see the link!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe they are from the people in BT who want the project to proceed and provide jobs and opportunity that does not mean joining the traffic to George Town. Maybe its the people of BT who are tired of the former capital becoming less commercially importamt with each passing year.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Should have recused himself from the proceedings regarding this project from the start

    The standards of ethics in this country is abysmal
    These boards and other such bodies and institutions are rife with conflicts and self serving members

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    • Anonymous says:

      Finally the private sector is understanding good governance.

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    • Anonymous says:

      “Should have recused himself from the proceedings regarding this project from the start”

      What evidence do you have that he did not or that any Trust Council decision was ever made?

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    • Anonymous says:

      As far as there were any “proceedings” it is clearly stated that he was obliged to do so and would have done so. You have information otherwise, or just trolling?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Recused himself from which Board? The Trust? Which didn’t have standing to comment on the Beach Bay development? What you have there, sir, is an imaginary conflict of interest. (If the Trust could have objected, and didn’t, and he hadn’t recused himself, then, and only then, would there be an issue. For the Trust members.)

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Good decision. He’d undermined not only his own credibility but also that of the National Trust.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    At first glance,it appears that we now have a great board. Congratulations to all.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    I always wondered what he did after the Bee Gees

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  10. Anonymous says:

    All the insane conflicts we have here and Andy Gibb is the one to resign? Meanwhile ALT and cronies get reappointed to CPA?

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    • Anonymous says:

      ALT on the planning board is the most disgraceful conflict going followed by Moses and the port.

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  11. Anon says:

    He also had the option to resign his role in the beachfront development. Now we know where his priorities lie.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Err. His daytime job is as an architect. His work for the Trust was entirely as an unpaid volunteer. Care to give up your job that pays the bills? I expect we will see where your priorities lie also.

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    • Anonymous says:

      He is employed as an architect. His role in the National Trust is as an unpaid volunteer. Troll much?

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    • Staying alive says:

      @3:00pm

      You have no clue about how life works.
      Most people need their day job in order to be involved in any form of volunteerism as it does not pay the bills unless they are properly minted. Get a clue mate before posting such shite!

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  12. Unison says:

    Beach Bay beach is the only sandy zone residents have for recreation. Why take that way ???

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    • Anonymous says:

      So tell your government to buy it. They have the money for it. Don’t worry about the jobs and permit fees.

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