Caucus and Cabinet to ponder PlanCayman proposal
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority reviewed the proposal for PlanCayman and at a special meeting on 24 August and voted to forward the document to the government. According to the minutes, the board found the “National Planning Framework document acceptable and resolved to present it” to the planning minister to put before Cabinet. The document in question lays out phases, the first of which relates to the Seven Mile Beach area. It is based on work conducted by the previous administration and sets out a potential development map for the country.
When he came to office, Premier Wayne Panton spoke about taking a more holistic approach to the project to replace the current development plan, which was implemented in 1997 and is no longer fit for purpose. But given the work required to re-assess the entire country, PACT continued with the work started by the Progressive government.
The document has not been released to the public but it did involve a period of public consultation on the Seven Mile Beach corridor. Planning officials have said that the review of the national plan needed to be conducted in a phased manner because of the particular needs and differences of the various areas around all three islands.
Given that Seven Mile Beach is largely a tourist and commercial zone, the building heights and density levels will be different from other parts of the country. The plan will need to set out how the government is going to address the significant beach erosion problems and the challenges that this has presented for hotels and condo developments there, such as the Marriott and Regal Beach, because of historic and frequent poor development decisions.
The government has already pledged to invest some $21 million in tackling beach erosion but it is more than clear that it must now consider the managed retreat of some properties in this zone. The plan will also need to tackle the controversial issue of how tall buildings will be allowed to be built along the West Bay Road, where the limit is currently ten storeys.
Former planning minister Joey Hew offered his support in the wake of news that the plan he had set in motion was being adopted by the current administration.
“When I was minister responsible for planning, I said that the PlanCayman planning framework is the best opportunity for the country to get a badly needed modern development plan,” he said. “I have repeated that many times since. Regrettably, following the election, Premier Panton did not support the PlanCayman framework, but I am hoping that will now change. An updated National Development Plan is critical for our future and must be beyond partisan politics.”
Noting that Jay Ebanks, the current planning minister, has reportedly expressed his support for the document approved by the CPA, Hew said he expected him to have the full support of his colleagues in Caucus and Cabinet to allow PlanCayman to move forward.
However, it is not yet clear whether or not the proposed plan will have full Cabinet support. While PlanCayman had been billed as a project that would see the economic, social and environmental well-being of Cayman being reviewed equally, the consultation document was criticised by environmental activists at the time for being tilted in favour of development and was carried out before the Ministry of Sustainability was created.
Additionally, a proposal that the CPA should take over from Cabinet the decision-making process relating to coastal works or potential development below the high water mark is also likely to fuel further controversy.
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Category: development, Local News, Policy, Politics
We are so happy to blame the rich? But isn’t the world spreading the word that the sea level is rising? So wouldn’t that cause less beach? You are so bias because of envy? Are you kidding me? Without development this country wouldn’t exist. If prices are too high than so is everything in the Cayman Islands. There is inflation all over the world. We are tied to the US dollar it is predicted by billionaires that the US dollar is going down. Asia is not going to keep using it as a fiat currency. Russia and China has been buying gold and other commodities to stop using US dollars. What will we offer to sell when banking goes down? Tourism is down, cruise tourism is down, prices going up. Who else but rich people will come here and spend or invest their money, you? I have said it before what is plan “B”
How sad it is that there is something called “plan cayman” which only has a developmental mind set with no thought for the quality of life and socio economic status of Caymanians long term. What is the plan for reducing work permits, upscaling of education for Caymanians to hold top jobs, become trained in all disciplines,creation of aslternative sources of income etc etc.
Why are we taking on the vision of foreigners for our home land. Where is our vision for our children. Isn’t it time to grow some Caymanian men and women. Stop electing big mouth people and focus on those who really can make a difference. We the people must take on a more responsible attitude when we select and elect.
$21 million then they will still run us from the public beaches and accesses.
$21million and they still won’t hire locals in hotels after we established the Tourism product from the 50s.
Public Beach soon gone; I can’t understand why no one sees it coming……
with no disrespect not just our cabinet must have the say. The say of our constituents must be heard and followed also on PlanCayman.
with no disrespect. what our MP’s must do come too their constituents who reelected and elected them. so that their constituents can give their feedback on the best way forward. Not just our cabinet deciding what they want to do and what is best foe them. The beach erosion is a national issue so everyone must have their say and concerns heard. And the proper decision must be made not for our MP’s too get the constiuents feedback and then they go behind their constituents backs still avoid the information from their constituents feedback and still go back too our parliament with no disrespect with their sneaky, deceiveing don’t care greedy mentalities and still do as they feel like doing
Sounds like at least one person is paying attention! I couldn’t agree more
SHAZAM !!!!!!!! Go Darlene!
We live in a country where the highest point is a dump; they’re covering the dump with soil so it magically disappears; they’ve built a school, homes and now a hospital next to the dump…lots of very wealthy folk who you’d expect are either smart or married to someone smart seem to think this is all fine
That sums up the development plan of Cayman, there isn’t one, the development is short term, corrupt and all about me me me today
Cayman is gone. Money talks everywhere.
Sadly, Sir, you are correct. Disgusting, isn’t it !!! I makes me ashamed to be a Caymanian. We are being taken down by the people supposedly running the country. It has been going on a l-o-n-g time. Will it ever get better?
Apparently not……………. until some honest people are found to run the show.
It won’t be easy.
Holiday Inn $514 a night during Christmas week. Cayman is gone.
So far as I understand this mess- we all know that the CPA is utterly unable to do anything right and uncontroversal, even though they are supposed to have the expertise. The DOE cares about the environment and does its best to protect and push back on the environmental unfriendly action of the CPA (thank you). The Cabinet votes the funding to carry out the WORKS whether those works are beneficial or destructive to the environment and those of us who abide here as well as future generations. Civil servants signs the cheque! Then why don’t persons from these groups form a committee/ Department to take care of all thing environmental and planning. We do not need these two entities always fighting against each other and wasting our finances. No one entity wins but Cayman loses all the time.
Can PACT or PPM cite any reasonable reason for not making this complete document open for public and media scrutiny? What does that T stand for now? Regardless of when Joey Hew’s PlanCayman was created, there is now a Ministry of Sustainability, and the LA cannot overlook that, go back in time, or grandfather perverted ideas that fly afoul of standing procedures. Far too much contaminated thought already sustained in that LA. The top priority for voters right now should be to review the Elections Law and update it to disqualify anyone with a past criminal record (like any other employer), and suspend without pay anyone under investigation on criminal/serious traffic (DUI) charges. Disqualify them from that room asap. Minimum educational qualifications might be a good idea too, among those left who aren’t hardwired as recidivist crooks.
The governments in power for the last dozen years, or more, have been little more than money grubbing cheats, They have taken for themselves and had no plans to make the Cayman Islands better for the people……. unless it meant gravy for themselves.. … and it’s still that way! Could we have de-elections and vote the unsatisfactory members out?
Sounds good to me!
Joey Hew couldn’t even deliver bike lanes over 8 years of remit. He should be hiding in the tall grass.
Joey Who? He is proven to be complete wasted vote unless you are a developer.
Well, even the short grass may suffice…
Ha. He still got in the two terms to be $et for Life with pension n health etc!!
Shame they give themselves these huge perks!!
The PPM slogan should say Better Future For The Rich.
You hot that right
We thought machine was bad, but then along came the PPM group, they surpassed Mac in putting Caymanians at the bottom of the list.
Only the rich matter to PPM.
You know who I trust to take care of the ocean and coastal works? The CPA! They are definitely responsible enough to say what happens on Crown property. They definitely won’t sell out in favour of $pecial intere$t$
Ha, ha, HA
You are joking, right!
@1:50PM Either you joking or one of those cursed PPM members.
I cannot believe that Joey and that bunch was planning to move the approval of coastal works licences from Cabinet to the CPA.
Alden refuses to remove the CPA board for two terms even after the auditor General told him and the public that there was too much conflict of interest amongst the board. His way of ensuring that he didn’t get blamed for anything just like Joey was to pass the decisions to their annointed board who would do their bidding on their behalf. Luckily, for us both Joey and Alden were mothballed and I hope next time around that the people of these islands will through those mothballs out and get rid of them once and for all.
PPM has always been for themselves, their rich supporters XXXX. When was Joey ever going to deal us that this was his plan?
You should stop smokeing that stuff! Your brain is already showing signs of failure!
You should stop drinking their corn syrup kool aid and fawning over them who only use you for their own purpose.yeah you 12:26pm. Suckeeer!
What a farce, there was never a responsible or sustainable development plan and never will be. The real plan, since Dart slipped in is to lay waste to everything natural, pave it over to make way for concrete megastructures and pillbox style residential developments. The ringleaders and their political enablers in this free for all will be fighting to destroy the last acre, while making money hand over fist. And this government as will the rest think they can throw money to mitigate the environmental fallout. Fools, but more than fools are the ones that voted these greedy corrupt idiots in.
Who authored or contributed to this new development plan…?
Civil servants as usual. , or were any experienced private sector industry professionals involved.?
So you want our elected ministers to have more input than career civil servants? OK, so our current slate of ministers are uneducated, corrupt, some who should be in prison, proven past track record of protecting fellow criminals, voting against rights for women, voting against protection of our heritage, our natural resources, voting against the very constituents who foolishly elected them… Yea, sound judgement. Sorry, I’ll put my lot with the civil servants. The Caymanian electorate has no recent positive history of electing proper officials, and Cayman has a poor history of putting proper educated, ethical officials on the ballot. Not a promising fact for a territory that craves respect, but is unwilling to earn it.
Experienced industry professionals certainly does not include ministers or any of our inept and uneducated politicians.
8:02. No thanks. I suggest we engage the civil servants who developed our reopening plan to take on this key project.
History has shown that Cayman developed and implemented the one of the best reopening plans in the world.
Civil service haters won’t like this. But it’s true.
2pm which experienced private sector professionals…you means the ones sitting on the CPA, awful reg and CIAA board?
I may be wrong but i think they are trying to sell that very condo for about $3M!!!! Talk about under water!!
Tropical Storm Delta eroded the beach there plain and simple. Beach was fine before then storm came and then no beach when the storm passed. Just drop a couple dozen big boulders in the ocean to reduce future erosion and dump “X” amount of that fine white sand there. Would that really cost $21million?
Short term answer, long term problem. Typical Cayman logic. Get the money and run – then blame others. Sad, very sad!
Talk about get the money and run did anyone see what the hotels are charging this year over Christmas? Holiday Inn $514 per night, Locale $500 per night, Hampton Inn $600 per night Marriott over 1,000 with absolutely NO BEACH !!!! ARE THEY NUTS???
Westin over 1,300 per night. These are not 5 star properties and Cayman is not a 5 star destination.
I don’t know what it would cost………. but it won’t work!!!!!
Its worth repeating –
Senior Planning officials…… pockets…… developers.
There is a sentence there somewhere I am sure.
I totally agree with 11:27. They better wake up and realize where this is going. i too blame some of the same you mentioned and some. At this rate i cannot imagine 10 years from now. Very disapointed. 🤔
“a proposal that the CPA should take over from Cabinet the decision-making process relating to coastal works or potential development below the high water mark is also likely to fuel further controversy”
And there it is – the Planning Department’s Plan B or C in on behalf of the developers cabal – move critical environmental issues relating to coastal works and the future of Cayman directly into the hands of developers.
Any government that was interested in sustainability would move such decisions to something like the NCC rather than the CPA but then there is so actual evidence that sustainability is a real consideration in this government.
Yes because the fine qualified people on the CPA know more about these type of things than politicians. We need development so please just give it a break.
Development is killing Cayman; can’t you see that! It is YOU that is selling out the country. Shame on you, shame one you.
At least we are doing good with the extra cash!
Lol. You’re funny
Development has spoken. It has robbed us of the ability to walk the former 7-mile beach from one end to the other. The beach set back in the Planning Law should be complied with.
@2:47PM..It has only robbed the Caymanians that fail to get in line. Many Caymanians have become wealthy because of us the Developers, and now live or own on Seven Mile Beach. You sold it to us, we developed it, your CPA approved our developments and we made lots of money. The politicians and the Caymanians who chose to help with us were well rewarded and some still continue to benefit.
30 pieces of silver. The corruption is overt. It is disgusting.
It is true. All the stamps for approval were delivered by Caymanians and this notion of developers being expats flying in from different countries is nonsense. Most are fellow Caymanians who don’t care about you. Sad truth which is hard to swallow.