Population growth fuels public concern for new plan
(CNS): Unchecked population growth that is fueling the rampant over-development of the Cayman Islands should be at the heart of the public conversation on shaping the development plan, people who attended the first of the planning ministry’s meetings on its draft Planning Statement made clear on Tuesday. This vague overview of what the Cayman Islands Government wants to achieve with a development plan was met with scepticism in West Bay, given that the district has seen some of the most dramatic changes as a result of development in the last few years.
The public consultation meetings on the draft planning statement, which began this week, provide an opportunity for residents to address planning officials directly about their development concerns. However, the statement is just the start of the process towards a new development plan, which is now almost 20 years overdue for replacement.
Those at the well-attended first meeting in West Bay noted the lack of details on specifics, from building heights to setbacks and how Cayman’s natural resources and built heritage are going to be preserved. One member of the audience summed things up as he waved the Planning Statement in the air and stated, “This tells me nothing.”
Another pointed out that the draft plan lacked a strategic direction or mission, essentially setting out a list of conflicting aims, and challenged the planning representatives to explain the priority because this is not at all clear from the draft statement. Others expressed deep concern that uncontrolled population increase and corruption have led to the destruction of the district of West Bay in particular, as well as the wider Cayman Islands.
Addressing some of the questions from the audience, Haroon Pandohie, the director of the planning department, said that for too long Cayman has had only very broad discussions, but the consultation aimed to change that. “This conversation that we’re having right now is to start to take those broad outcomes and… filter them through,” he stated without explaining what he meant, given the broad nature of the draft document that was on the table for discussion.
But in the wake of the meeting, Pandohie told CNS that the department is currently seeking input largely on just the statement. When the area plans, which will be subject to another consultation process, are developed, people will be able to drill down into the details and offer their precise submission. He said that these would include things like building heights and coastal setbacks that the public would be able to weigh in on.
Several people also said that the 30 July deadline for feedback on the consultation was too soon. It did not give people time to read, digest, consider and then submit their thoughts on the broad statement that will lay the foundation for a future national development plan.
During the course of the meeting, which lasted just over two hours, the audience raised questions about the anticipated rolling power cuts, the arrival of skyscrapers, political corruption and the general failings and incompetence of successive governments that have allowed the development lobby to take over the island in search of profit.
However, the size of the population and how that has impacted the island was a prominent topic throughout the evening. People raised concerns that Cayman was not measuring or controlling the population and wanted to know if there was a plan for a specific number. The current estimate is that there are around 90,000 residents in the Cayman Islands.
Bernie Bush MP (WBN) said that as far as he was aware, not only was there no government policy to increase Cayman’s population, but the CIG was trying to reduce it with proposed changes to the immigration law. The legislation that the government was “working on and trying to change definitely shows we’re not trying to increase Caymanians”, he said, implying that the aim of the changes was to reduce the opportunity for expatriate workers to attain status.
Retired architect Rupert Ackermon said the constant development of Grand Cayman was “destroying” it as the government has become obsessed with money and anything it can make money from. “Cayman used to be a beautiful place,” he said, adding that visitors are shocked by how much it has changed and don’t want to come back anymore.
Local activist Billy Adam said Cayman had become a “selltocracy” and that “the rampant development” was the fault of politicians who had sold the country to the developers and rich landowners. He said the public consultation was nothing more than a means to continue “fooling the people” as another election approaches.
He pointed out that successive governments have engaged in public consultations about Cayman’s future for decades, but they have not taken any notice of what the people say and have done nothing with the reams of documents and reports that have been produced.
Katherine Ebanks-Wilks MP (WBC) said politicians were not making decisions against what voters wanted, but if people were disappointed in their representatives, they should hold their MPs accountable and tell them that their concerns were not being heard.
The meetings will continue throughout this month and July.
| In-Person Public Consultations Schedule: | |||
| DISTRICT | DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
| George Town | 6 June | 7:00pm-9:00pm | George Town Constitution Hall |
| Savannah | 10 Jun | 7:00pm-9:00pm | Savannah United Church |
| Bodden Town | 13 June | 7:00pm-9:00pm | Bodden Town Church of God |
| North Side | 4 July | 7:00pm-9:00pm | Edna Moyle Primary School |
| Cayman Brac | 8 July | 7:00pm-9:00pm | Aston Rutty Centre |
| Little Cayman | 15 July | 7:00pm-9:00pm | Little Cayman Beach Resort |
| East End | 18 July | 7:00pm-9:00pm | William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre |
| Virtual Public Consultation: via CIG Facebook live and CIG YouTube live | |||
| All Islands | 18 July | Noon-1:00pm | |
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Category: development, Local News, Policy, Politics
Are the people in the Cayman Islands aware that in other Caribbean Islands like the Virgin Islands that they are cautioning there citizens that it is a ‘criminal offence’ to knowingly transmit HIV, STIs
https://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/en/news/rvipf-cautions-of-criminal-offence-to-knowingly-transmit-hiv-stis
This report will go on the shelf next to Vision 2008 and Miller Shaw. Yawn…………
The CPA and the Ministry couldnt drive Cayman development if it was a GTA auto Cap Shelby.
you keep using the term “unchecked” population growth, why is that? I’m 100% sure everyone who arrives here weather on vacation, work permit or other means is “checked”. What you should say CNS in my humble opinion as a long supporter of yours, is “allowed and assisted” population growth! The fact is the people who appear to be running the island are actually not, and they are far intellectually superior than the Developers and their lawyers. Cayman is heading towards an iceberg and that captains are saying “full speed ahead”
LTD da unboozzlar
Please stop allowing these new faces with Status to “adopt” half the kids from their home villages, their nieces and nephews, processed by their own kind and droves are now filling schools, NAU etc
Too late,9:04. That started in the 1980s when Linford demanded that Jamaicans be allowed to bring all their dependents here, even if they had never lived with them and if the kids had never attended school. He was looking for the Jamaican vote of course and he got it.
Why can’t we build the beautiful structures of previous centuries when they weren’t as “smart” as us?
First step is to run this tin foil crowd outta yah so and stop issuing work permits to these Jamaicans Canadians and Filipinos now hogging up everything in this place ! Those who don’t have Cayman best interest need to join them also including the resident e foil experts now crowding up our public spaces and talking pure $#@% about preserving Cayman safety and security and environment. Just a bunch of self serving liars and corrupt Rabble now clearly here to destroy these islands and it’s indigenous population. Look around Cayman take stock at who has really benefited from this economic miracle they keep telling us about. One mortgage payment away from loosing everything you have force to sell you heritage to keep up with material Debt .
what you need to do is wake up and realize Caymanians have lost control of this Island a very long time ago and you don’t have the will power or financing to change it.
11:07, Bobo, Caymanians have all the political power here and have all the control. However, they have sold out their own people to enrich themselves mightily.
We can blame ourselves and no one else.
https://dontpaveparadise.ky/
We need YOUR input on how the 1997 Development Statement performed! Take the Scorecard Survey here: http://bit.ly/4e0UnMj
The ‘new’ Development Plan is a farce written to please the developers that own the politicians. That is why it does not consider population growth or permit anything that might limit developers profits.
Builders and developers don’t build houses and buildings for millions of dollars just for fun. They’re building them because there’s a demand for housing and commercial space. That demand is fueled by population and economic growth.
Everyone thinks it’s the other way around. This isn’t a case of “build it and they will come” the demand is coming because of our economic growth.
If you want to stop that economic growth and be more like every other country in the Caribbean then stop whining about these “evil developers” and get on with the economic collapse. Then we’ll all live happily in poverty.
Builders aren’t causing this (and I’m not a builder)
Corrupt developers and politicians are a large part of the problem.
Developers buy politicians and senior civil servants in order to ensure that they maximise their profits. Their profits are maximised when development is unhindered by any consideration of the social costs, environmental costs and infrastructure impact of development.
Maybe this is true…but the number of builders and developers getting that kind of special treatment are very limited. All the SMB towers are built by only 3-4 developers. All the rest isn’t really getting away with much and again, they’re building homes for people that want homes.
So the people not causing a problem should be left alone, and the people who are causing a problem should also be left alone because of their cousin ilk who are not? Because they are building different types of excessive buildings that they then aggressively sell before going to clear another area of pristine land? No thanks. Cayman is so valuable for development, if someone wants to build something here, they should have to do A LOT more than they have to do now. We only allow 1 one-bedroom apartment for every 5 two-bedrooms. We should also require 5 housing developments that are affordable to the average person for 1 hotel or luxury apartment complex.
Okay youre not a builder fair enough, Fueled by population and economic growth you say? What attributes to our population growth is work permits correct? Recent figures indicate Jamaicans and Philippines lead the numbers in these numbers approximately 22,000 persons combined on Island. Now tell me out of all those people who can afford what is being constructed now? Everything now is being done for Greed and the wealthy, That must be the economic growth you refer to which has no benefit to the Average Caymanian. Then we”ll all be living in poverty? News flash, alot of us allready are.
The number of Jamaicans alone is MUCH higher than 22,000.
Rubbers!
But the biggest source of problems in Cayman, Jamaican men who never use them.
OK – so judging by the comments so far, we are just going to kick this attempt to update the Plan down the road AGAIN so that everyone can whine and complain about it not being updated for another 10-15 years right?
So we will continue to have a Plan that barely mentions the environment and doesnt ever mention climate change, resilience or sustainability but somehow still expect current and future Planning Board members to factor those aspects into decisions – just because they feel like it – since they wont be legally required to if those aspects don’t currently exist in the outdated Plan – that we hate but that we want to keep – boy, Im just not sure this is the better option.
Yup. That is the decision for those you elected – do nothing! Look in the mirror and see the reason Cayman is a mess. Welcome to the consequences of your votes, who you elected!
Read the document. It IS attempting to address these things.
Decentralize the Central Planning Authority. Break up the Planning Board into seperate district planning commissions as independent cooperatives that work for each Electoral District and can accept applications and approve them independently of the current Central Planning Authority. Have each Electoral District planning office members have to agree on cross Electoral District boundaries for projects such as roads through habitat lands or lands of significance. Planning permissions for the regular or residential clients can be applied for and approved swiftly for building and construction projects more rapidly and in the applicants own district; and the people of each district would have more control and say, in big projects affecting or proposed in their district. Break up and decentralize the current planning board and do away with the Central Planning Authority and remove them from over all over lord power. Obviously, they do not have Caymanians or Caymans Environment in their best interest whatsoever. Place more power into the hands of Caymanians and land owners and the people of the districts. Make things more swift with implementation of a Self-Certification processes that the public can comply to and enter into the planning online system that do not need to take months and years for approval for small to medium projects. Make things less costly and time consuming by spreading out work load of applications. Having District Planning Offices could also open up new jobs and government positions for Caymanians. Do away with and Decentralize the Central Planning Authority! Do a Devolution of power. Devolve and divulge their power out distributed amongst the electoral districts.
It doesnt matter who is on the Board if they have to be legally held to the laws and regulations that are clearly pro-development. You could put 12 environmentalists on that Board and they would still have to heed the laws/regulations or spend thousands/millions of public purse funds to hire lawyers for appeals from developers – which they will lose if they cannot give legal justification for refusals. Thumbs down all you want, doesnt make the root of the problem go away.
2:45 FACTS
Exactly- the development lobby has worked very hard over the past 25+ years to ensure that anything that was in the 1995 version of the Development and Planning Law that protected our people and our environment was removed. If we simply repealed every piece of legislation that the developers bought and paid for since 1995 we would have the basis for going forward.
I hope this new plan contains adequate parking as most Commercial buildings don’t have enough parking for staff & customers and Apts don’t have enough for all the Tenants. Yet Govt has not increased requirements as the Developers fight against it.
it’s all about money
In case you don’t know, the CPA is appointed according to the district(s) they live or grew up in so there IS district representation already.
That just changes the people who get paid off to allow more development.
I’m 61 now. When I was kid, I remember thinking that the politicians biggest concern was protecting their environment and wildlife … Look how far we’ve come 😕
Sadly this mention of genuine concern is not consistent as the minute numbers that turn out to these public public consultation meetings is telling of a deeper concern. And it’s the same old drivers of this progress by development rhetoric speaking from behind their elevated podiums on stages at these events.
The ones I’ve recently attended are the same as similar public consultations in previous years where the same drivel is spewed by these dictators on stage. The narrative is lopsided and always in favour of the developer, not sustainability. Having these sessions mediated by impartial experts in sustainability from Cayman and overseas would be a definite improvement.
Otherwise, one might as well be invited to sit in a dentist chair and have the plan documents forced down one’s throat with a toilet plunger.
Actually, the proposed development plan (statement) is littered with sustainability aspects – oh wait, did you only mean sustainability synonymous with the environment? or did you mean all the other aspects of a country that need to be sustainable?
2:47 FACTS and thanks for actually reading the document !
“Sustainability”; a buzzword to appease the masses on how to prolong what little one has until there’s nothing left to sustain.
“The Development Plan” is nothing but lip service and another ornament for the shelves in the Govt’s library collection of reports (never to be implemented).
The developers control this island and where its going. We all know who they are; look around. Their plan is implemented by their “Yes” men/women aka Govt and its boards. To hell with the rest.
Isn’t it strange that the Planning Authority admits nothing has been done in 20yrs since their last strategic plan….which also happens to be the exact time frame that Ivan licked us and we have seen a rapid explosion in development….
Full of kaka-doo-doo.
CNS: Its 25 years not 20 since last Dev Plan
CNS Note: Yes you are indeed correct that the development plan we are still using was rolled out in 1997 but the review was supposed to take place five years later in 2002 or 2003, hence it was referred to in this article as “20 years overdue for replacement” rather than referring to its establishment.
things liek this reminds you just how important it is to have a local farming infrastructure that can adequately feed your people.
We live on a rock in the middle of a salty sea. Not sure how much farm land is here to feed 90k people bobo.
If they be wantin mo peoplo den gots to have mo KFC locoations fo sho!
@Lafonda – one thing we don’t need here in Cayman is a racist pig who offers nothing helpful or intelligent to the conversation.
Didn’t work, your writing accent failed miserably! Go enjoy your KFC!
The likes for this racist post highlights what wrong with this place. Too many outsiders coming in to take over and displace the indigenous people. Mind where you tread!!!
but unlike the countries they are from, they have to forever be anonymous because a ass whooping is never too far away.
Shut up you cry babies, we need the development for our economy to BOOM! If you are so unhappy then just do us all a favor and leave please.
Totally agree! BOOM away LOL
Thank goodness our elected officials, the CPA and planning know that development is critical to our economic success so they won’t be deterred from all the whiners who already have money.
there is no-one in cig or civil service with expertise or qualifications to tackle this issue.
civil service is filled with poorly educated people with zero ability to tackle these issues.
if we can’t be honest and face these facts we will never be closer to a solution.
9.14 at least two of the civil servants you refer to are responsible for the GT ruinification project that’s going so well.
Be more pragmatic: These are the people we have. We must use them to forge a solution.
Your solution — which is NO solution — is to acquire ‘new’ people. Talk about planning to fail.
If we lack education, we must acquire it. If we need a sustainable creative program, we must create it. People have to consider what they want their future to look like, and take steps to achieve it. WITH the people we already have. Nothing else will work.
Wrong the CO in tourism ministry is qualified, professional and very knowledgeable. He used to head the Economics & Statistics Office. CIG should get and take his advice.
Actually majority of experts in CS are foreigners so don’t blame our education system if they’re not capable
There are, at a minimum, 3 chartered urban planners involved to guide the discussion and formulation of the plan, specifically, the Director of Planning, the Planning Officer and a member of CPA. Do some research before spouting rubbish.
The ESO refuses to provide any accurate information of the number of people ACTUALLY living here. They keep contending that people on Temporary Work Permits or permissions that last less than 6 months do not get counted nor do thousands of unofficial dependents here as visitors, even though in fact, they live here. Our systems have betrayed us. The refusal to take into account facts, preferring flawed statistics despite their manifest inapplicability to Cayman’s circumstances, is wreaking havoc.
ESO doesn’t know. ESO can’t possibly know.
There is no forecasting method.
The Development Plan has been kicked down the road so many times it is crushed and dented beyond recognition or repair.
This is all subterfuge designed to hide the virulent opposition of the political/developer class to any regulation of their dollar chasing schemes.