CPA to hear apartment plan before re-zone
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority’s agenda for today’s meeting includes a controversial application for a high density residential project in the South Sound wetlands that remains the subject of a re-zone application. However, Cabinet has not yet decided on the re-zoning, which poses a significant environmental and flood threat to the area. Pro-Plus Construction and the Tropical Architectural Group have submitted the application for dozens of apartments, townhouses, sub-division lots and facilities, all on primary habitat of seasonally flooded mangrove forest and woodland.
In addition to the significant issues raised by the Department of Environment, there are several local objectors who have major conservation concerns about the proposed development as well as concerns about the flooding threat the project would pose if it goes ahead.
The DoE has said numerous times that the significant number of planning applications in this flood prone area of the South Sound basin in the absence of a strategic stormwater management plan for the area is a major problem and this issue should be resolved before any of these residential developments go ahead. While many already have, despite the DoE’s warnings, this latest proposal presents even more of a challenge.
The South Sound basin functions as a water catchment and storage basin — a natural mechanism for reducing flow velocity and flooding — that also contributes to the maintenance of water quality in the South Sound Lagoon. But hundreds of acres in the area are within property where planning permission has been granted or the owners are in the process of applying. Around 80% of the original wetlands is now lost and if any more of this primary habitat is removed, the mangroves will no longer provide this natural and critical service to the community, leaving all homes in the neighbourhood seriously vulnerable to repeated flooding.
This is already the case for several communities, such as Randyke Gardens, but so far government has failed to come up with a solution to this problem created by the continued clearance of mangroves.
“Unfortunately, the South Sound drainage basin has become severely fragmented by current and future developments impacting the overall capacity of the remaining wetland area to accommodate drainage for the whole basin,” the DoE said in its submissions to the CPA. “We reiterate our concerns regarding potential flooding and drainage issues and the need for a regional stormwater management plan is now even more critical given how much of the basin is committed for development.”
As well as the DoE’s recommendation not to grant this application, the objectors are also urging the CPA not to give this project the green light, especially given that the re-zoning application, which is required before a project of this density could go ahead, has not been approved.
The application by the landowners, Yarclay Ltd, for the re-zoning from low to high density residential is supported by the CPA. However, with the change in government, Premier Wayne Panton now heads up a new Cabinet committed to sustainability and climate resilience, and granting a re-zone in this area would fly in the face of these policies. This change in policy direction throws into question this and other residential development proposals for the area, including an affordable homes development by the National Housing Trust.
There are around two dozen objectors to this proposed development but the campaign against it is being spearheaded by Melanie Carmichael, a leading member of the Cruise Port Referendum campaign and the activist group Sustainable Cayman, which has recently presented a proposal to government to conserve the South Sound wetlands.
Carmichael told CNS that the CPA should not be hearing this application until Cabinet makes its decision on the re-zoning, and until the new PACT Government has had chance to set out its position regarding the loss of wetlands that voters are hoping it will address.
In her submissions to the CPA, she outlined in detail what she said was “such inappropriate development for the area” because of the already failing infrastructure, the traffic congestion that would be severely exacerbated, and the major problems of flooding. Carmichael said she believes that there should be, at the very least, a feasibility study or even an environmental impact assessment, given the significant problem development has caused in the drainage basin.
See the application in the CPA agenda for 26 May in the CNS Library
(scroll to Pro Plus Construction)
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Category: development, Local News
Is this the same area that the massive area that has already been cleared at the top of South Sound? What’s going on there?!
Actually the rezone is recommended and approved by the CPA itself under law. It then goes to Parliament for approval via the Minister who is responsible for planning. Cabinet has no legal authority to approve or deny the rezone. Referral to it is effectively for information only.
The last famous rezone recipient also got a bill for $750k , but I forgot, that was a real estate commission…
The esteemed CPA chairman will ram this approval thru as he is the leader of the pro-development board and could really care less about the environment. The building contracts and material sales way outweigh some silly things like mangroves, traffic, overcrowding, beach/shoreline erosion. Get used to it, money & greed is what drives this island.
Please Mr. Premier replace all the current CPA members and replace with a more diverse and levelheaded board members that will look at the whole picture and not just what will be good for themselves and their associates.
PACT govt needs to immediately suspend the CPA Board and all decisions immediately until they can be replaced.
Until they can be replaced? Exactly how long does it take to write a letter?
Writing a letter requires a consultant report in the first instance.
You do know their term expires in July, right? Plain as day if you bothered to look on the planning website. Wait until you see who the next chair is though…
10:31 am correct the PACT is waiting to make sure it doesn’t look like they unseated the board, just replacing them when their term is up. Rumours are the next bunch won’t be much better because they are too hot-headed and lack capacity to understand the development process and laws. More rumours that qualified lawyers and planners have been put forward to the cabinet but they are ignoring these logical choices.
Wow! Wouldn’t that be terrific!
ENOUGH already. South Sound USED to be a desirable area to live, not anymore unfortunately and DEFINITELY not if this gets approved. I feel sorry for the SS property owners.
This will be a urban ghetto!
We have become a nation of complainers …
So we should just sit back and let people do as they please??!
Sure as long as I or some of my buddies benefit financially from it why the hell not? Are you jealous?
If they own the land, yes. They paid for it.
They bought the land zoned low density residential though…why should they get to change it?
2:17 pm Good question. The answer is because they have the lawful right to do so. But the application that was considered by the CPA was NOT a rezone application but an application that completely complies with the current Low Density Residential zoning.
Note to2:46 pm: If we have become a nation of complainers, it’s for some damn good reasons! What’s better, trying to improve things, or do nothing but bitch?
When will this foolishness end?
By now the whole Planning Board should have been fired and replaced. What are you waiting on Wayne? Nike!
When you Caymanians stop selling your land. Looking at the current Ecaytrade and Cireba real estate listing though, you all still haven’t learned your lesson.
As they are required by law to do
Here we go again, no one in Government or planning gives a **** about the environment.
Are you sure?
NO. Why the hell are we building ourselves into oblivion come more repercussions from climate change?? Not to mention the logistics on traffic in the area. There is 1 million places to build and the best option is a flyover from Savannah to Camana that will help population with living out east and commuting. That should be plan A.
If the Guwerment scraps all existing cars on the Island or ships them abroad to sell and buys every household a new brand new top of the range Tesla, we would have less cars, no traffic jams, no pollution, no high gas costs. Also employers should allow working from home so that people in those households could take it in turns to drive the Tesla to work…..ha ha, good idea, everyone happy, yes??? x
When are we going to get a road from the by-pass to south sound road? this will help reduce traffic at hurleys round about as well allow for more reliable traffic routs to south sound after a storm
So the slip road that is damn useless is their road. Effin clowns.
The NRA plan is to have another connector road below the Lindford Pierson HWY east to west and above the gazetted SS connector that will dissect these new proposed developments to connect up to Fern Circle- who knew eh?
I’m sure the rich folk there won’t let that happen.
Remember what happened to the South Sound area with Hurricane Ivan? You ain’t seen nothing yet in South Sound when the next Ivan hits.
There is a high price to be paid for stupidity.
Ivan didn’t care wether there was mangrove or womangrove in its path.
It proved the hype that Mangroves are a protection against storm surge is just a pile of treehugger nonsense.
Yes it proved your hypothesis if your hypothesis is utter bs. Do you even know you can go to grade school to learn about how drainage works?
Yeah, drainage works cos water runs downhill , or soaks into the ground or back to the sea, right..?
Probably not past high school, sadly.
My friend, all these greed mongerers barking about more development can add but can’t count.
Still waiting on development plans for locals and hurricane flooding and contingency plans, instead of catering to Johnny come lately’s and foreign five-time homeowners.
Developers seem to have perfect answers for every other question beside these ones.
Liar!