Foster’s gets go-ahead to move old-time house
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority has given Foster’s the green light for the expansion of its Republix store in West Bay, according to recently published minutes on the planning department’s website. The application had been adjourned by the CPA to allow the supermarket time to consider two options for an old-time Caymanian house on the proposed site.
But in a decision during the last meeting of 2021, it waived both those options and allowed the complete removal and relocation of the ‘Miss Cassie’ home to a new location — taking aim at the Department of Environment as it did.
The differences between the CPA and the DoE have never been far from the surface of planning applications. But with a change in the lineup of the planning board following the formation of the PACT Government with Wayne Panton at the helm, promoting an agenda of sustainability, there was some optimism that the DoE’s input would finally be taken seriously.
But instead, the situation seems to have deteriorated with the current board, which is even more hostile to efforts by the DoE, a department within Panton’s own ministry, to persuade the CPA to consider the environment and other issues unrelated to the economics of a project.
In this case, the issue of the house related to the cultural environment rather than the natural one. The DoE noted in its submissions to the CPA the historic overlay in the area of West Bay, where the supermarket is located, and the requirement within the development plan to preserve historic architecture.
This led to the board initially recommending to the applicants that they move the old house to a more suitable place on the site or redesign the new car park to fit around the house, which is more than 100 years old.
But in their most recent decision, they stated that they were instead satisfied with the applicant’s proposal, which had previously been rejected, to relocate the existing house to another property, a proposal that Woody Foster himself had outlined at the original planning meeting.
Explaining the decision, the CPA said this time around that the application complies with the Development and Planning Regulations because the site is a suitable location for the proposed grocery store expansion and there were no objections from adjacent landowners.
“The Authority acknowledges the comments from the Department of Environment but would note that the content of those comments regarding the Development and Planning Law and Regulations falls outside the remit of that agency. Further, the administration of the Development and Planning Law and Regulations is the direct remit of the Central Planning Authority whose members need no education regarding same from the Department of Environment,” the minutes stated in a direct attack on the advice given by the DoE regarding the need to consider the historic overlay zone.
In their revised submissions for the application following the first hearing, the DoE also raised concerns that their comments about preserving a small area of mangroves on the site had not been addressed and the Central Planning Authority should seek to secure improvements to the application by imposing conditions.
Noting that the application states the mangrove will be removed and replaced with dumpsters for recycling, the DoE said that it was “not a wise use of wetlands to convert them into waste handling areas” and it does not “benefit the environment to remove mangroves and replace them with concrete, tarmac and dumpsters”.
As a result, the DoE said it stuck by its original recommendations that the plans be modified to preserve the mangroves in the southwestern corner of the site, that the traditional house is retained in situ, that further research into the boardwalk and trail is conducted by the National Trust, and plans are revised to protect or conserve the Bridge, another heritage feature on the site, as agreed pending further
discussion.
However, the current CPA, just like its predecessor, opted to completely ignore the DoE and approved the application without imposing any of the suggested conditions from the environmental experts.
See the minutes in the CNS Library.
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Category: development, Local News
I’m just glad that Hurley’s is building another store in my neighborhood. No more Foster’s for me. I stopped shopping at Kirks when I found out that the Kirks and Foster’s were in bed together and had a baby called Progressive Distributors. They own the wholesale and retail stores and Kirks charges more than Fosters for the same product that they get from Progressive. Something isn’t right.
I understand that DART has now acquired interest in the Foster’s Group. Look for more things to come.
Pls ensure you have your facts straight when making statements. This community is full of gossip, find something worthwhile to do.
I stop shopping at Foster’s including the WB branch, where I reside, since last year. Almost a year now. Thank goodness McRuss opened up and lots of convenient stores in the district. I shop at Kirk’s when I need to do huge shopping. Inconvenient? Yes. Happy FFF don’t get me and my family’s cash? An emphatic yes!. I don’t do frauds and disingenuous entities.
No respect for our heritage only for greed. The house and the surrounding others like it have stood the test of time. Have never seen hurricane damage to those houses.
Then someone else should have bought that house and held onto it.
Amen!!!!!
This just the tip of the iceberg, moves like this have some other larger entity written all over them. Fosters Group are just the ventriloquist dummy. No one suspects who’s hand is working this.
Will the Boggy Sand public access path (The Bridge) be maintained through the properties?
Right now it’s where Fosters has their garbage receptacles conveniently situated.
Why don’t you call try this in your own hometown…see how far you get.
Call try this in your own hometown ? What does that mean ? Speak English. We might get your point.
Those historic split units must be preserved!
Progress for the sake of progress.
Paved paradise ,put up a parking lot.
Folks, this house is no ordinary house. Stop looking at the exteriors only and referring to the house as wooden. The way the house was built, is a part of our heritage! Do you get that?! If we ever return back to the old days, and concrete and building materials are depleted, will we ever remember or have it in us the know-how’s as to build a Caymanian house like this one? It seems like we are so quick to erase our cultural foundations and call it trash. Because the technologies and what’s on modern screens, have blinded us to see its value. One day we will regret how we took our culture for granted, how we were unwilling to listen and learn from our ole folk. We will regret it. 🙁
Well I think the original owners of this house should be critized as well, after all they were not forced to sell this property. When a property is sold why is it that the new owners are ridiculed, persons can’t buy what someone isn’t willing to sell, it’s as simple as that!!!
Where are you going to get the raw materials to build these traditional houses? The natural resources of this island are almost extinct!
Are you referring to waddle and daub? And ironwood? AKA an endangered tree and coral? Yeah what a brilliant and environmentally friendly way to build.
Listen,
I love this place, but historically there has been nothing conservationist about it. The crocodiles hunted to extinction, turtles to the brink of it, blue iguanas to the brink of it, conch and lobster same. Not an ounce of restraint has been shown for centuries and now everyone wants to act like they live in tree-houses like Tarzan. All these conservationists live in concrete homes that sit on sites that were previously covered in trees; yet want to act like nobody else has the right to clear land a build their own homes. And in the very next breath the same people want to complain about the housing affordability problem. Can’t please these folks no matter what.
Historic house? It’s a shed!
Dear CPA, no is a complete sentence. Please just say no.
Clear mangroves for no reason? “no.”
Destroy a historic house? SAY No.
Build a seawall? Say no.
Just say no!
CPA never ceases to amazing me. What a disgrace.
What a disgrace for the caymanian community just shows we as people don’t hold anything of any value round here especially when it comes
Down to OUR OWN HERITAGE!!!
We elected these clowns, we should not expect any different response than the circus coming to town. Want to be mad???? Be mad at the electorate; it all starts and stops with the ethical (or unethical) decisions of who we elect.
This was a derelict, neglected house until it was slightly fixed up a few hours ago. There is very little original on it and was largely redone inside to reflect nothing like it was in its day.
The current location is of no significance (dont even want to hear the whining). The best solution was to move it to a location where it will be maintained, maybe restored to its original form, and perhaps be somewhat of a minor attraction.
99% plus of you didnt even know this existed or anything about it until the move was proposed. Please.
It’s just a shack.
Correct decision. The house gets moved and preserved and life goes on.
Bulldoze it. Nothing in Cayman is valuable anymore. All our forefathers sold the good parts.
It is not as if the house was unique or an architectural gem.
The decision was correct.
Including you I presume.
When our government appoints responsible ministers and relevant people who actually care about Cayman to these various boards and committees this degradation of our heritage will halt. Rather than political minions and loyal stooges and mindless chief officers with hidden monetary and political agenda’s .Not much left now Cayman the last vestiges of our heritage and past is either being pilfered by the new immigrant hoard or totally destroy and erased by the land barons and their greedy developers. When it gone it Cayman
The problem isn’t immigrants as Caymanians ourselves are made up of generations of immigrants. The problem is us, we as Caymanians selling off everything, leaving no land for our children and their children.
Some Caymanians still consider themselves more Caymanian than other Caymanians. Paper, ghost and driftwood come to mind?
Disgraceful decision and attitude by CPA members
Fire Jay Ebanks as Minister and replace every single member of the current CPA board. Ron Saunders and Haroon Pandoie as the leaders of Department of Planning are culpable.
The tension between the Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Sustainability is now a national embarrassment. Premier and Minister Jay Ebanks need to get in a room and act as men to find the compromises that they both can live with. SMH
The tension between Planning and DOE is all on the DOE and their absolute arrogance.
A bigger hot bar is a small price to pay for national heritage.
🤣
This is great news! Now Foster’s has more floor space for its empty shelves.
This was the correct decision. Isolated pockets of mangrove make no significant difference to environmental protection and diversity. Therefore, the objections put forward would appear more about control than environmental protection.
The DOE should be making their case to use the Environmental Protection Fund to purchase areas for protection, rather than trying to unnecessary hinder every development that comes along.
Good on the CPA for keeping their independence and not being bullied by the DOE.
> the administration of the Development and Planning Law and Regulations is the direct remit of the Central Planning Authority whose members need no education regarding same from the Department of Environment
“the law remained final when put down in words, …it is permitted **even for the slowest person** to go back and read them often, even if they are long, as long as they are useful.”