Royal Palms falls into sea ahead of renovation
(CNS): Pictures and videos circulating on social media over the last few days show the derelict buildings at Royal Palms crumbling into the sea following the Cayman Islands’ brush with Tropical Storm Helene, as the erosion on the southern end of Seven Mile Beach reaches unprecedented levels. However, Dart officials say the building, which is literally falling into the sea and polluting the marine environment, was declared unsafe this week and is due to be demolished.
Royal Palms was once one of Cayman’s most popular beach bars, with an excellent restaurant and a full beach in the heart of Grand Cayman’s tourist district. But over time, the impact of hard structures from neighbouring beachfront properties has caused the beach to dissappear.
Dart acquired the property in 2017 when it still had a full beach but closed it in 2020 during the pandemic. Since then, the buildings have been left to deteriorate, and the erosion has accelerated.
In 2022, Tropical Storm Ian destroyed a seawall on the site, and after consulting with the Department of Environment, the developer embarked on a clean-up operation. At the time, the DoE advised Dart that, with the property severely eroding and the business no longer in operation, there was an opportunity for a managed retreat. The experts said the old bar should be torn down and the beach allowed to recover.
However, two years later, the site remains derelict, and the crumbling structures were hit once again during this week’s bad weather.
Last year, Handel Whittaker, the former manager of Calico Jack’s, another once very popular beach bar next to the public beach, announced he intended to lease the site. But Dart, which had acquired that site more than a decade before, notified Whittaker that it would be terminating the lease in 2020.
Handel then looked for another location for his popular beach spot. After attempts to do something on Dart’s land in Barkers failed, Whittaker opted to recreate the famous beach bar at Royal Palms. But more than a year on, Dart officials said the planning application was still going through the process.
“We have an agreement in place with Mr Whittaker’s company to refurbish the property,” a spokesperson from Dart told CNS in response to our inquiries about the future of the property. “As such, an application has been submitted that includes demolition of the two-story structure on the beach.
“This is subject to planning approval and requires a review by the National Conservation Council because of the sensitive nature of the location. Once we have permission to proceed, the demolition of the building nearest to the beach can begin, along with other works to enhance the overall property,” they added.
However, the planning department has now issued a notice warning that the site poses a danger, and as a result, the process is expected to be expedited. While the DoE recently sent its advice regarding the renovation project, the actual application for demolishing the old bar building was only received by the DoE on Wednesday of this week, officials have confirmed.
This means that the department cannot be accused of delaying this project, especially after advising Dart of the need to tear down the building more than two years ago, well before it struck a deal with Whittaker to lease him the site.
The new push to demolish the old bar is likely to be due to its deterioration after the latest storm and the resulting planning declaration that the site is now unsafe.
Royal Palms is one of many properties along the southern end of Seven Mile Beach where the beach has disappeared, hard structures such as seawalls have been destroyed or pool decks and bars inundated by the sea.
Despite the severe impact on places like the Marriott Hotel, property owners appear to have no will to engage in a managed retreat.
But as the sea gets ever closer to the structures built on the dynamic beach in this area, including Ken Dart’s own private family next to the Royal Palms site, these oceanfront structures will need to be removed. If not, it is clear from the situation at Royal Palms that the sea will do it for them at a significant cost to Cayman’s marine environment and its famous beach.
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Category: development, Local News, Marine Environment, Science & Nature
Fin Cayman is another property that was built far too close to the sea.
A video shows Fin Cayman taking a battering from the storm in January (bottom of article).
https://www.caymancompass.com/2024/02/12/doe-setback-advice-ignored-in-storm-damaged-coastal-properties/
A further video on the DOE website shows water entering the Fin Cayman widows on the second floor. Click on George Town marker.
https://doe.ky/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/coastal-setbacks.html
How much damage could be made by a full hurricane? It would be interesting to hear the story Michael Ryan is spinning for the condo owners.
The DOE recommended that planning permission for Fin Cayman was not granted. The building was too close to the sea and at risk of damage from storms.
The DOE warned:
“The DoE has concerns regarding the proposed sea pools and building set-back of 50ft. The sea pools are in very close proximity to the seaward edge of the ironshore. …It would also expose the development and the surrounding area to greater risk of wave inundation during significant storm events, especially given the close proximity of the building at the 50ft setback.”
The drawings used to promote the development showed an expanse of beach separating Fin Cayman from the sea:
https://caymannewsservice.com/2020/10/fin-project-in-breach-of-planning-approval/fin-grand-cayman-development-artists-rendition/
The Fin Cayman development has a sea pool that provides the sea with direct access to the base of the building.
https://fingrandcayman.com/location/
Article concerning DOE objections in 2020:
https://caymannewsservice.com/2020/10/fin-project-in-breach-of-planning-approval/
Would a developer, such as Michael Ryan, have to inform customers buying condos that the DOE advice concerning setbacks had been ignored?
Old Caymanians have a saying. If unna can’t hear, unna will feel.
They also have another one, everything is for sale for the right price.
Turns out it was the wrong price though.
Unna is not a word.
All words are made up, and therefore anything can be a word. This is completely disregarding the fact that “unna” exists as a word in multiple dialects around the world, including ours here in Cayman. Perhaps take some time to reflect on yourself and consider that your schooling failed to educate you to a level where you can comprehend that not everyone speaks the same limited language as you.
I do hope that any and all sewage exposure has been considered. If a septic tank is present – that it has been pumped; if attached to the SMB sewer, that the pipes have been terminated and are not running ‘live’ through the property.
The silver lining for the property owners along the south SMB is that the beachfront land itself is extremely valuable and can economically support a favorable redevelopment set back. Laguna Del Mar, Cayman Reef, Seagull etc are all older properties that are very dated and tired looking. But all those properties are very deep from shore to WBR. All could be torn down and redeveloped set back from the beach, giving existing property owners a “free” upgraded and substantially more valuable unit, with the developer taking excess units as profit on the project. Using the Lacovia ( and future Aqua Bay) economic model.
Waves are like a see-saw.
They result in only 2 things.. Erosion or Deposition of sands. If this is interrupted, only 1 effect will prevail. in our case, it’s mass Erosion!
More to follow.
No pity on any of these individuals, companies, groups, etc that the Planning Dept allows to build and continue to build too close to the high water mark or in some cases, below it.
MOTHER NATURE RULES. THEREFORE, SHE WINS EVERY TIME!
The problem is the slope. People and boats have been running on the beach pounding sand back in the water. Sand only makes more sand from Northwesters. Dive boats coming into the beach and spinning propellers dig a hole under the boat. Oops shouldn’t have said ! But sand doesn’t climb up a slope.
We used to have Berns all over the islands and very few people. But with the population growing everywhere and everybody wanting to go to the beach, it’s now a problem. Nature protected itself but we want a view.
So pull out your wallet and dredge the bottom past the drop off or buy it from another island. How about Cuba? We probably could get it at a steal?
what utter twaddle. Wave action pushes sand UP the beach.
Wind blows it up the beach.
Dart’s developments have done some good for the island, undoubtedly, but his aggressive and muscular stance towards government, his neighbours and the island’s ecosystem will be the ruin of the island.
Have we passed the tipping point into decline?
Yes, and very well stated. This is karma. Just too bad that the original criminals can’t be held accountable.
Shut the hell up, the Dart organization is the greatest. I came here top work for them and now have my status and a real great and wonderful job. You people are just jealous!
🤣🤣🤣
It seems one of the biggest issues is the steel barrier which I believe is 6 feet below ground level and runs from the boundary of the Dart residence to the boundary with Royal Palms, which includes the old Coral Caymanian beach is constantly ignored. This massive structure prevents the sea from running naturally and they, as in The Dart group are actually destroying their own beaches. The hands of the DoE are tied but surely some legislation could be passed to require this ‘steel wall’ which used to have a coral wall facade, to be removed. This is essential to allow the beach to recover. Maybe if a petition was signed by thousands of people would force action to be taken.
Mr. Dart, tear down those walls.
As a Seagull owner for decades I have a couple points
1- contrary to the Climate change alarmists the rate of sea level rise has been relatively constant over the last few decades at about 1 foot per century . Obviously this is a long term problem.
CNS: What a muddled mess of a non-factual statement. Are you talking about decades or centuries? See here and here to find out what scientists say after studying the data, rather than random nonsense plucked from who knows where. There is no excuse for using the term “climate change alarmist” at this point. It’s just silly.
2- I believe the issue on southern SMB is caused by Sea Walls. Normally waves carry sand up the beach and when the water stops moving, the sand is deposited and the water returns to the ocean. This is how sand is replenished. The erosion at our location began when a number of seawall were built to the on the south of us so that when a Southwester blew in ,instead of the sand being moved slowly up the beach, it would impact the seawall and be reflected into the ocean, stopping the replenishment process. Fortunately, in the winter strong northwesters would blow in and carry sand from the northern part of 7 mile beach back to replenish our beach. The ultimate problem started for us when Dart built the seawall on the property north of Royal Palms so no longer could the sand be carried down the beach from the north to replenish our beach in the winter, Instead it was reflected out into the ocean. Properties to the south , continue to build new sea walls to protect their buildings, like the one at Cayman reef resort which continued to stop sand replenishment all the way down to the south point. Darts wall is quite durable and shaped in a way that directs the water even further out away from the shoreline, carrying the sand with it .
I believe if they sea walls could all be removed and the development moved inland in a process called managed retreat that the normal sand replenishment could resume. Unfortunately redevelopment of the existing properties would require cooperation of the central planning and government, and it seems there is a pretty strong anti-development attitude on the island right now. Beware of killing the goose that lays the golden tourism eggs.
CNS, the original poster said that sea level rises are about a foot a century. Thetwo links you posted say exactly the same (an eighth of an inch per year)
CNS: The original poster indicated that climate change was nothing to worry about and sea-level rise was a constant. I invite you to read this again from the first link. If you still don’t get it, I can’t help.
“Today, sea level is 5 to 8 inches (13-20 centimeters) higher on average than it was in 1900. That’s a pretty big change: for the previous 2,000 years, sea level hadn’t changed much at all. The rate of sea level rise has also increased over time. Between 1900 and 1990 studies show that sea level rose between 1.2 millimeters and 1.7 millimeters per year on average. By 2000, that rate had increased to about 3.2 millimeters per year and the rate in 2016 is estimated at 3.4 millimeters per year. Sea level is expected to rise even more quickly by the end of the century.”
the Cayman Reef sea wall is well over 30 years old. you make it seem like it is new. these issues only started in the last 7 to 8 years. maybe look at the Turk house. that is what is new in the area.
O P I N I O N
A cautionary tale is playing out here for those smart enough to look.
Anyone here who would cheerlead and say: “Yay, serves them right, rich guys building too close to the ocean get what they deserve!!” -those people are truly ignorant fool!
Imagine this seam of erosion along SMB taken all the way back to North Sound and ripping the island in two there. It totally could happen. Who’s cheering now?? There goes your real estate market. There go your future stamp duties from West Bay to SMB. What would Miami be today without an active beach re-nourishment program?
We all live on an island 250 miles south of Cuba in the middle of a growing Ocean, and with rising sea levels. Any of us living on the sand-based infill along the 7 mile beach corridor are living on borrowed time, absent urgent work and re-nourishment. Anyone in those condos along South Sound from Hurley’s to the West better not get too glib either because you are all one Cape-Verde storm (over 60mph) away from seeing your destiny manifest along that shore as well.
Beach re-nourishment and the free large scale (often vilified) developer-driven import of sand (that comes at no economic expense to our people) props up our land values and runs counter to the go-slow, “fill in 50 forms and work through 40 meetings with DoE” approach that we have been taught to believe is sustainable here.
DoE needs to sober up and allow our vilified developer-class to quickly and easily bring in the barges to hold back rising sea levels before that developer-class loses interest or gives up. There is no “permission” in our future my friends. There is large scale import of fill or a loss of the country our government hopes to govern.
We have taken too much for granted here and the risk is that the “rich Jackass” money that allows itself to be governed by a cadre of high minded fools, suddenly says “SCREW THIS” and stops investing here to hold back the sea.
The real question is: Would government prefer an extra 300 or 400 acres of beach front to charge stamp duty on the sale of in future, or would it prefer to lose that land forever to the sea????
What happens if sea-levels rise and erosion occurs faster than our government can react (entirely likely) ? What happens to the real estate value underpinning our economy if a dithering, micromanaging, Gretta Thunberg liberal democratic inspired DoE loses its way and gets overrun by the oceans the evil developers were willing to hold back for free??
We shall soon find out. If the DOE wants to prove it is right and that only more mangroves will save the day then that’s fine. But it could be there is nobody left to plant prune or govern them.
Absent a plan to throw caution to the wind and let ambitious developers hold back and renourish our beaches with new sand (at their expense), my fear is that a vocal minority of misinformed “envirocrats” wrongly influence an ineffective and inactive government that is unwilling to green-light anything near the sea. The rest of us will be left to watch our island wash away into oblivion inch by inch, and nobody will be brave or courageous enough to do anything about it.
Buy that extra condo in Florida or points North my friends. The future of Cayman may not be here, because those who govern us may not act in time to allow us to save ourselves.
Far better to have created and incentive for our investor/developer class rather than vilifying those willing to save this island from the sea for free.
The way we are going now, that each front parcel called “Royal Palms”, (previously bought by Ken Dart from the Kirkconnel family for 50 million dollars) will soon be a wide spot in the ocean, and a cautionary tale for those hoping to invest here and save themselves from the rising seas that nobody (least of all our ineffective DoE) would save ourselves from.
That was a fun read. I always did like fantasy novels.
Miami is experiencing the same problem; erosion due to removal of beach plants and building too close has caused intrusion of the sea into *sob* rich people’s developments.
Decades ago, in Miami, Gulf Shores and Grand Cayman, we knew to build away from the sea, because that zone was turbulent and not to be trusted. Then, rich asshole developers moved in and seduced the governments into allowing closer development. It’s the same story in all three locations, and no doubt others.
The developers make their money and move on, and the local developments and the people surrounding them bear the consequences.
I want a government that looks out for us, not the developers. It’s good to have dreams.
and Caymanians cashed checks by selling the beachfront to foreigners, revisionist history
I looked extra hard for the sarcasm font in the original OP’s post and I’m pretty certain I didn’t miss it… with that said, I’ll share my thoughts below:
What would the next right thing to do be?
1) 🏝️ According to the OP- ‘rip it and ship it’ and replenish sand when and as needed. Even if it is 3 or 5 times a year? This seems as hopeful as a ski resort trucking in snow from a neighboring state and hoping the temperatures don’t rise (again) next week and melt it all (again) before anyone gets to enjoy it.
2) 🏨 An earlier contributor suggested ‘managed retreat’ to create a natural buffer and replenishment area. Let the waves and sand do what they need to do. This makes a lot of sense to me- and I acknowledge it would require the owners of properties with seawalls to “do the next right thing”. Imagine if the Marriott consciously chose to be the first and move their pool, deck and such inland. Would the rest follow?
3) 🌳 Enhance coastal areas with mangroves and other wave and erosion friendly vegetation. Imagine if this was able to occur- doing something entirely different. In contrast to doing the ‘same old same old’ yet expecting a different result. I’d be willing to try/create a ‘different’ beach experience- some destination is going to do this- why not Cayman? 🤷🏾♂️
The bottomline is: choose your hard- none will be easy.
As for the advice to buy in Florida- yeesh 🤦🏽♀️ 🤦🏼♂️ 🤦- at the rate of erosion and destruction they are experiencing, not to mention the insurance challenges, Florida may experience a large ‘managed (and necessary) retreat’ in the coming generations.
My money would be to put some elevation under you for your 2nd home/condo- think North Dakota, Montana or Wyoming.
This is absolutely correct. Futhermore, the cost of fixing the beach is in the tens of millions of dollars which is a very small amount when compared to the value of the real estate or the budget of the CIG. Putting sand back on the beach is an easy solution – if it moves then it can be done every year or two years, with absolutely no risk. Why not just do it once since it might easily fix the problem?
https://www.caymancompass.com/2023/11/28/the-disappearing-beach-coastal-boundary-line-is-in-the-water/
Interesting to read this article again after all the various comments.
Everyone blames the sea walls. But those walls have been there for decades. I think the changing climate is to blame. We don’t get nearly the nor-westers in the winter that we used to get. We need a great nor-wester season to bring back sand to the southern end of Seven Mile.
I fully agree. Yes, the hard structures have a significant contributing factor to the beach erosion, the greatest impact is the shifting weather patterns. Building further back and a higher base elevation is the only solution for whatever the reasons, but far too many blame the hard structures as the only cause – this is naive.
It can be both. You might well be right, but the second incoming waves hit a wall instead of run up a beach it’s not going to replenish from wave action.
I have lived on the beach since the mid-seventies and what you say has much merit. The extensions made to the port have not helped as sand used to go back and forth to south sound. CIG needs to make some decisions. Before they buried their heads in the sand. That is no longer an excuse.
Yes it’s an easy cop out to blame climate change but you miss the primary real cause of sand loss on SMB. Maybe you need more time to reflect on the negative effects of vertical structures constructed parallel to the beach in advance of the storm high water mark?
Which seawalls have been there for decades? Please enlighten me!! There were nature rock formations on the north side of the SMB but they were not man made. The mess we are witnessing today is mainly because of the seawalls in the areas where we are seeing the erosion. Do you see any erosion north of the seawalls??? Kmt!!!!
Dart also just cleared a large area of mangroves next to the National Art Gallery. Apparently for a football pitch. I guess you could call that draining the swamp!
Very very sad to hear Royal Palms is going to be demolished 😔 😢
Royal Palms is literally a Cayman and Seven Mile icon. Pre-2019 so many amazing memories of locals, expats and tourists all smiles great parties living the island dream with the lower bar, swim up bar and upper bar overlooking beautiful Seven Mile Beach.
Especially Sundays after brunch happy hour parties were the best party setting in Cayman while overlooking the Seven Mile sunset!
There should be an intervention on the grounds that Royal Palms is deemed a Cayman heritage site and be repaired and restored. There’s not much Cayman culture left on Seven Mile and Royal Palms should be fixed. Royal Palms emulated everything Cayman is and should continue to be which is joy peaceful welcoming to all utopia in contrast to all the craziness going on around the world.
The massive boulders in the ocean about 50 feet out from Royal Palms should also be put back. From extensive snorkeling in those waters someone definitely extracted those massive boulders around 2019 and there was spray paint were those boulders once lay. Tropical Storm Irma hit in 2020 and within hours all that Royal Palms pristine white sand got suck away. Those massive boulders would have greatly help block the sand erosion. The massive boulders from Cayman Reef Resort through to Seagull condos just south of Royal Palms are still there were not extracted.
Please remind me how the beach in front of Seagull and Cayman Reef Resort is with their massive boulders still in place.
Correction it was Tropical Storm Delta not Irma that stripped the sand in Oct 2020 from Marriott upwards to Royal Palms Coral Beach. These southern SMB sections never fully recovered after that day from the Delta storm 4 years ago.
Snorkeling along there multiple multiple times days afterwards the Marriott, Regal Beach Club, Laguna Del Mar and the Turkish billionaire’s home beach was all iron shore no sand. Felt like was snorkeling over Mars scorched Earth craters. Just north of that is Cayman Reef Resort where it was very shallow only a couple feet (walking in the water) with a ton of sand so high stuffed by the huge boulders that you could barely see the boulders as the beach sand was pulled from the beach inward and under water. Seagull was less of boulder restriction sand build up under the water and then at Royal Palms it was all sucked away like a slippery slide 🛝 sand gone out and deep water remaining relative to the shallow sandy Cayman Reef Resort area. So yes smart ass the boulders if not extracted would have helped Royal Palms. Not enough to stop Tropical Storm Delta’s westward winds strength but would have more sand there along with more sand at Seagull as the reef boulders would have extended further from Cayman Reef up to Royal Palms creating a longer boulder wall. Remember that wake boarding boats and party boats could never come up to Royal Palms but had to drop anchor beyond those huge boulders about 20 feet out and people had to get the water to get back to shore. Have a look now there’s nothing inhibiting a boat from coming right on shore in front of Royal Palms where the beach used to be 🥲
Bait…
Someone get me the smallest violin for the property owners! Awe, losing your precious bit of beach … well, now you know exactly how the poor sea turtles feel having had their habitat and heritage stolen! You reap what you sow.
excellent restauant?
food was crap
RP was one of my favourite bars on the planet but yeah excellent restaurant is rewriting history!
It was simple fast casual bar food. People went there for the atmosphere vs high dining.
Royal Palms was the first place I went to when I first visited Cayman 22 years ago. I was sad when it closed during covid and was looking forward to visiting it when it reopened. This is very sad news. So many memories thru the years.
Exactly! Royal Palms is literally the one and only iconic bar in Cayman. Only other bar remotely close to a historical icon is Calicoes. Stingray City, Royal Palms on Seven Mile and Rum Point… Cayman is losing one of its historical destinations 👎🏿. Royal Palms is brand name recognition internationally. Very sad.
27 @4:19pm – Your comment appears to have confused people. Yes, there was the beach-bar for years with the Caribbean fare. I presume you’re referring to the restaurant operated there later by Donnie and Julie LLoyd (can’t remember its name) which served much finer fare. I enjoyed nice family dinners there, office parties, etc. Definitely not buffalo chicken pizza and bar food.
Your critics probably never knew this, yet the jest?
Buffalo chicken pizza & a beeragita please 🙂
It was. But the beach bar, location and vibes were fantastic. RIP RP.
I had a great time there over many many years 🙂 Those memories are not lost
This is a picture of the beach in front of the Marriott in the mid 1990s (then known as the Radisson Cayman). I remember playing volleyball there and having a large staff party — it was huge and deep back then. Link:
http://www.citycliks.com/graphics/24_06.jpg
Great old image. That was before they extended the hotel rooms out, built the pool deck which now ends with the sea wall in the ocean.
The former Turtle Beach condos can be seen in far right image ( Now the South BayBeach Club).
Then they got greedy and decided to build past the high water mark to the beach. Now, they complain about losing the beach and blame climate change. It must be another term for stupidity.
Potential for another storm to pass us on Tuesday and finish the job.
No construction company in the world can match the centuries of experience Water has in demolition. Need land cleared? A canyon created? Water will get the job done with precision and patience. Our elite team of oceans, rivers, and flash floods guarantee complete, natural removal of any structure—no permit required! Just sit back and let nature’s most experienced crew take care of the heavy lifting (or eroding).
Shameful.
Laguna Del Mar is probably next. Most of have (or can) seen pictures today in the Compass and social media today of the water lapping right up to the front building, heavily eroding the beachfront and eating into the foundation.
I could seen this primed for redevelopment (ala Lacovia). Laguna is 37 years old, but the property is very deep (from water to road) so could accommodate a large, set-back redevelopment. No doubt the condo unit owners have at least discussed this, but it take agreement with a large percentage of owners.
(Redevelopment takes A LONG time. Watermark for example has now passed the 5-year mark in its construction).
I see some units there up for sale. How is that legal??????? Not soon before they have to deem the whole complex unsafe.
Add Driftwood to the list. This is his legacy.
You mean the Driftwood sold to Robert Thomas Sofield III by Driftwood Group Ltd? Or a different Driftwood. You might want to do a little research in to the ownership of said group. Maybe take SSM345 with you.
Dart hasn’t been forced to do anything with the old Hyatt building either! It’s an eyesore that needs to be demolished.
Maybe Mark VanDeV can tell us what’s delaying these? Maybe you could use the same equipment/contractors & get a 2 for 1 deal if you are looking to save $’s LOL
He’s got a plan for it, just DO IT! It truly is an embarrassment that he’s held it for this long without doing anything with it.
All the pro Dart fans going on and on about how he develops so well…this shows how he is lacking, get on with it already.
I don’t get it. Why buy it only to leave such a mess? Is it even legal to allow structures to sit in that state for this long? Clear it, replace it, do something with it for god’s sake. Even the new Calico’s is an improvement on the derelict old one. OK it’s the worst bar on 7MB now but at least it’s not a horrible eyesore. Dart bought the 2 best bars in Cayman and destroyed them. For what? So that we’d all go drink in his lifeless, characterless, overpriced hotel bars? I think not.
DART did the same to “Driftwood” in North Side.
Bought it and let it rot; then flattened it.
And Brittannia golf course
What a load of tosh.
*pish
Very sad to see. A lot of great memories at Royal Palms.
Yeah, like watching Minister K. Bryan playing volleyball in a g-string.
🤮 try rid that out of memory now even tho did not see it!!🤢
I’d rather watch him play volleyball in a g-string than attached to the FCCAs puppet strings like he is currently.
Also where certain politicians hung out to “solicit”…as well as ply their trade.
The best memories of Royal Palms are from the seventies when Bruce Copeland and his wife ran it. Nice friendly bar and dining room and excellent beach. Cayman had far far fewer people and much much more friendliness between locals and “furriners”. Crime was minimal…drunks on the weekend, Alice P grabbing a bearded man because she was a bit odd and into that, Sheppie Brandon in court for ganja again, speeding fines of $35 in Magistrates Court which hardly had any other business. Then came Mr Bodden and his strata laws and the money poured in ( though not into a rainy day fund) along with more and more people and more and more crime. Ah so it go.
The Marriott’s pool needs to be removed and located back to the courtyard where it was when the beach was plentiful.
There used to be at least 50 feet of beach in front of that place! Our silly government has let so many developers build on the beach that is completely destroyed the water line. 7 mile back is going to take it all back! and IM GLAD!
I wish we had actually accountability on this wonderland so we could jail the main people responsible.
LTD Da Unboozler
Disgraceful.
Shows much they care! Look at Paradise in GT, also left to rot!
They love to kill off “local” spots.
Bruh, you back on fhe sauce?
More money employing minimum wage slaves, overcharging and autocharging grats. Horrible experience for everyone except the elusive owner.
Paradise is being redevloped and awaiting plannign permission
If it’s anything like the new Calico’s they shouldn’t bother. Horrible cocktails, painful service, inept bar staff who don’t know the difference between rum and whisky, eye watering prices and automatic 18% grats. Never again.
yeah yeah, could have been kept open all these years, developed into what another piece of Camana Bay souless concrete.
Yes
Isn’t there a $25k a day fine that should be imposed on derelict building owners in the SMB area? Where are our politicians? If they could get out of his pocket and do their job, that’d be awesome!
It gets deposited every month into the Nation Building Fund account…..bwahahahahahahaha
Depends who you are.
If that were actually true and enforced the government would be in massive influx of funds from the old Hyatt building alone!
Can’t imagine if you added RP as well!?!
They’d owe themselves plenty for the Glasshouse too mind you.
Government won’t allow (via CPA) any of the southern properties to protect their buildings.
Those same properties were built 30+ years ago when the beach was 200 feet out. Up until 4 years ago the properties from Regal Beach North still had 200 feet of beach.
This isn’t a seawall issue (although they do restrict replenishment once you get to this point), it is an environmental issue. Increased storm frequency on the west side of the island pushing the sand North during hurricane season and less storms in the Winter pushing the sand South.
The bigger issue is that this started at Plantation Village/Marriott etc and is slowly moving North. If this continues the beaches past Royal Palms will start falling victim as well. Seems out of reach but remember the likes of Royal Palms etc used to have 100’s feet of beach and its just gone.
Super sad, and especially sad for those homeowners who everyone assumes are rich expats. Everyone also assumes that these are new developments which they are not. So much negativity when we need to be looking at a solution before we end up with 1 mile beach.
Correction. It is also very much a sea wall issue. If you have a solid structure jutting out on any coastline then any resulting wave action turns from a depository force to an erosive force. Yes, we are getting more powerful storms, however, the presence of these manmade structures is the main cause of this beach loss.
Just ask Marnie
@ Anonymous 27/09/2024 at 12:23 pm Exactly! They should have made her tear that down after she built it. She grossly and willfully ignored all restrictions and did exactly what she wanted knowing full well no one in CIG would order it to be torn down.
Why are we not prosecuting government officials for refusing to enforce the laws we pay them to enforce?
Completely wrong. Weather patterns are the main issue and that is only getting worse. Live with your head in the sand – what’s left.
It actually started with Marnie Turners illegal wall and the Treasure Island groyne but do carry on.
Yup – that’s what is causing the increased storm cycles. Those silly rocks that brew up storms off the coast of Africa. The groynes have been there for decades, what were they doing – sleeping? Now awake they are ‘doing their evil damage by controlling the weather.’
27 @ 8.25pm – True! But it was Caymanians in the Dept. of Planning, one in particular, who “encouraged” CPA to approve her wall.
Caymanians’ perpensity to kiss white peoples asses!!
honestly, knock down everything on the beach. no more building on the beach, you want to build on the beach? buy land on the land side of 7 mile beach road. this cant continue any longer.
This is all false news because Mr. Darts great organization always does great and fantastic work. Those applications were lost by planning. CPA chairman, ram this thru as Mr. Dart is our greatest recourse.He can get some more foreign companies to come in and do the works very reasonable.
LOLOLLLOL
Isn’t Handel on the CPA board? and why didn’t CPA serve notice on the landowner and fine them for having an slightly property in a tourism zone? Same goes for the old hyatt? Deckers, Britannia golf club? (Calicos) now refurbished….
because there is nothing in the planning law about derelict properties. So long as no one is in them its perfectly legal to let it rot.
Lands Law prescribes a maintenance standard that seems to be waived for this developer.
Everything and anything is waived for the BOSS!
Have you looked at most of the dwellings surrounding Georgetown? Many, many also would not pass standards. I agree with your premise, but be fair to apply it to all.
You people are a bunch of dam fools if you think anyone in power will say or do anything to the great and wonderful Dart organization. Dart owns us lock stock and barrel so who in the government has the guts to tell Dart to follow the law? Keep dreaming as no one wants to get off of the Dart gravy train.
That’s funny, because when I reviewed the planning submission as an interested party a few weeks ago, I’m quite sure it included the demolition of the building. CNS might want to do a little fact checking.
Are you saying they incorporated “moother nature” into their proposal? Sneaky b*stards
I think you are correct on that. There will be tables and seating around the existing pool area.
If I was the island’s primary resident billionaire and owned a large part of the eroded beach, I’d be minded to spend some pocket change, buy up the various properties causing the problems and demolish all of them. Then I could sit on my porch and watch the beachfront come back.
That honestly sounds lovely.
And he is Caymanian (thanks McKeeva SMH).
why is this still there? Dart should be forced to remove it.
Sure, once Seagull, Vista Del Mar, The Marriott and others are required to do the same. Have at it.
I think you might mean Laguna Del Mar. I dont think anyone will be demolishing the $15+ million homes behind the gates at Vista Del Mar near the Yacht Club!
Fair enough but those monstrosities should be demolished as well.
I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure the properties in Vista del Mar are set back far enough.
Not really
vista del mar is literally a mile from the beach you numpty.
But vista Del Mar is still an obscenity in Cayman…the 1% living off the rest of us and ruining our island. Bankers, developers, real estate moguls and hedge fund operators.
not all, just people with more money than taste
Under which law or authority.
Lands Law
Missing in the Cayman Islands is an elite assembly of concerned accounting professionals to re-read past agreements, note lapses in supervised performance, assess values of missing duty and interest, and compel the regime du jour to deadline delinquent actors to do what they said, or were required to do, suspending all CPA applications and approvals until they execute on previous promises and commitments in good faith. A strong CIG regime might put a timeline of 90 days to propose a full plan for tunnels and bridges, old Hyatt, Royal Palms, or remove these structures at their cost. Published public proposals. The power and control dynamic needs to be reversed back onto the developers that benefit greatly from being located here – or they can go. CIG needs to change how they deal, eliminating backroom dealing, ITTT extortion, and other usual business tactics. They have no place here, if we are genuinely striving to demonstrate resolve to stay off the FATF blacklist.
The illegal seawall at Calicos is going to cause the same destruction soon. Wait and see. But it seems Dart are are allowed to do whatever they want.
I think it was the previous tenant at Calicos that first built the wall on the beach. Got served an enforecement notice for building the wall without permission and now he is part of the CPA…only in Cayman!
The building falling into the sea at Boggy Sand Road continues to be reconstructed.
You can thank the wonderful CPA and it’s big chairman for that fiasco.