Intent of EWA road is for more development

(CNS): Minister Kenneth Bryan and opposition independent MP Chis Saunders have made it clear that the basic intent of constructing the East-West Arterial Road extension deep into the Eastern Districts is to access the green space land there for development, not to ease traffic congestion. During a recent debate in parliament on a private member’s motion brought by McKeeva Bush MP (WBW) about protecting certain businesses for locals, including parts of the development sector, Bryan and Saunders said the road would offer an opportunity for Caymanians alone to buy affordable land in the east for development.

Saunders, who had seconded Bush’s motion, said that, given the climate crisis, when the wetlands were opened up for development, it would be very important that it is done very carefully and that only Caymanians should benefit from the profits. In contrast, his close friend on the government benches seemed far less concerned about the impact on the Central Mangrove Wetlands.

Bryan took aim at the local environmental activists in Cayman, who are trying very hard to limit the devasting impact this road could have on this important ecosystem. They believe it is an unnecessary road that will not solve the traffic problem but will destroy the environment.

The minister dismissed the damage that slicing this habitat with the road would have. He appeared to believe there was more than enough wetlands to sacrifice some of it for homes and accommodation for local residents and Caymanian developers and bring down the cost of land.

Drifting far off the topic of debate, the tourism minister even went as far as calling for the development of an entirely new Caymanian town in the Eastern Districts where people could live and work in an area that is still untouched habitat.

Bryan argued that the country needed to address the problem of land banking by foreign investors but appeared to favour developing Cayman’s natural resources rather than introducing any kind of absentee landowner tax to prevent the growing foreign ownership of property across the country, which is pricing people out of the market.

He said opening up the land in the interior would speed up supply and reduce land prices.

Blaming those fighting to preserve the country’s dwindling natural resources for holding up the EWA extension for preventing Caymanians from gaining access to affordable land, he called for even more roads to give access to the wetlands, even after stating that he was aware the discussion about the wetlands was a very sensitive one.

“I am adamant that this pushback is affecting the quality of life on so many levels,” he said about those who have objected to the road. “By the time we get the road done, because of all of this pushback, the house prices are going to have quadrupled.”

The minister added that trying to prevent the road was short-term thinking, apparently not understanding that the environmentalists are looking ahead to long-term issues resulting from rising sea levels and the increase in flooding these islands will experience. He also suggested that being “against common sense development… was silliness”.

As he spoke about development that will harm the environment, Bryan denied that anyone in parliament wanted to harm the environment and said these issues would be part of the next election campaign.

Bryan waved around a map of Cayman for the benefit of his parliamentary colleagues and declared how much green was in the centre of the islands, implying it should all be available for development and deriding those who wish to preserve what is believed to be the Caribbean’s largest, contiguous mangrove habitat. As he yelled at the members in the chamber, he suggested that without opening up the interior for development, the country would be homeless.

The higher and drier areas in the wetlands are currently largely inaccessible. The development of the EWA extension through to Frank Sound will change that significantly, creating access deep into beautiful pristine habitat, including dry forests, which are home to many of Cayman’s rare and endangered endemic species, such as the iconic blue iguana. Fracturing the wetlands with development will also undermine its ability to provide essential future eco-services, from carbon sequestering to protection from flooding.

When Saunders made his argument for development in the areas that will be opened up by the EWA, he warned about the need for caution, as the wetlands should be preserved. However, he still argued that the only remaining green space was east of Boden Town. He said that development would be inevitable once the road goes through, and it was important that such development be in the hands of locals and not overseas investors.

Saunders warned that when development begins in these areas, the country cannot make the same mistakes that were made on the western side of Grand Cayman.

“This is the last large swathe of green space in Cayman,” Saunders said. “We need to make sure that we recognise we do have challenges with climate change… that when we do open this side of the island up in terms of development that we do it very, very, very responsibly,” he said, as he referred to the recent record-breaking hurricane.

The former finance minister also made it clear that this next generation of development should be in the hands of local people only.

See the related CNS report on the substance of the motion in question here.

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