CPA hearing airport expansion plan in campaign period
expansion. (Aerial Imagery Source: UKHO, 2021, used in the application documents)
(CNS): On Wednesday, the Central Planning Authority will hear an application made by consultants representing the Cayman Islands Airport Authority to expand the apron at the end of the runway at the Owen Roberts International Airport, pushing it into an area of mangrove buffer and woodland. This application is a small slice of the plan that the outgoing administration was supporting across the airport estate.
It is connected to the controversial $42 million re-development of the general aviation terminal catering only to private jets and Cayman’s richest visitors and travellers.
Airport officials put a range of development proposals to the government and found support for much of the work, including a runway expansion and a new general aviation terminal at ORIA, which appears to have taken priority, despite widespread belief that the CIAA should be working to improve the main airport terminals that carrying residents and the bulk of Cayman’s tourists, rather than the facilities used by only high-net-worth individuals.
The project is going before the CPA during what is now known as the “period of sensitivity” during the official general election campaign, and it is certain that the government that supported the project will no longer be in power after the next election.
The PACT/UPM administration has splintered and its members are now campaigning as independents or with two different parties. As such, it is not known if the next government will support the current project, given the very real concerns about the costs.
This external work, estimated to cost around CI$1.2 million in the planning document, involves less than 700,000sqft of the land at Owen Roberts airport, which consists of 343 acres and runs only to a portion of land north of the existing runway and east of the existing apron. The consultants are seeking approval for the expanded apron pavement and existing service road, a generator and a utility building.
The Department of the Environment has already advised the CIAA and planning that the National Conservation Council does not require an EIA to be conducted as the DoE has all the information it needs to inform the authorities of the extent of the environmental damage and threats the project poses and what mitigation measures are required.
The DoE reminded the CPA that when it hears applications for any development of a Mangrove Buffer Zone, the Development and Planning Regulations require consideration of the ecological functions
performed by the mangroves. Under the regulations, all forms of development are prohibited in a Mangrove Buffer unless there are exceptional circumstances.
In this case, the DoE said that the CIAA and its consultants have “demonstrated a willingness to collaborate on a comprehensive mitigation strategy”, and the department has urged the CPA to include a mandatory mitigation plan as part of the conditions. The DoE scientists have recommended that the apron be pulled back from the mangrove buffer and the ocean as the proposed apron and service road are situated very close to the North Sound, with some areas as close as 40 ft from the sea.
“To enhance the long term climate resiliency of the proposed development, we strongly encourage the applicant to consider siting the development further back from the shoreline. Coastal setbacks not only reduce the risk of damage from storm surges, sea-level rise and coastal erosion, but also help to preserve the natural protection that coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, provide,” the DoE said.
The government began looking for designers for this part of the airport project last January. It appears that AMR Consultant Engineers, who worked on the previous airport project, won the contract, though there is no indication on the central procurement website when it was awarded.
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Category: development, Local News
Kenny probably doing this to kiss up to his wealthy friends like Frank Schilling.
Kenny’s private jet terminal with more borrowing.
When will we ever be rid of these amateurs getting us deeper in debt with their vanity projects.
Bottom line: The airport needs to be expanded.
Yes but we don’t need a new private jet terminal. Not when parking at the airport is a mess.
First and foremost is that this project is unnecessary. Private jet passengers travel that way because of, among other reasons, spending less time in an airport building. Ask any of them if a grand new terminal is necessary..they will say no. Has CIAA and/or the Ministry asked them? Hmm? I’ve asked many and their answers are always the same. “Not necessary for us”.
CIAA blew a great opportunity of public/private partnership years ago. They could have owned, at no cost, a fully purpose-built General Aviation Terminal ny 2026, housing necessary ancillary services (bearing in mind CIAA owns the land). They turned away that opportunity.
Having said that, the present General Aviation Terminal can be renovated for a quarter of the first phase of developing a new Terminal facility. CIAA has said that the present one is beyond repair and seemingly are allowing it to run down…perhaps to support the agenda. But value for money is not being recognized. Even in its present condition, it compares very favourably with Bermuda’s and TCI GA Terminals, therefore an upgrade could easily surpass theirs. Just saying. Additional hard-stand parking can be created on existing grass areas traditionally reserved for light aircraft, of which relatively few operate into/out of ORIA.
The grand GA Terminal/Hangar complex by the North Sound, like the runway extension into the Sound, are all included as options among a few others, in the Airport Development Plan’s various revisions. They were not necessarily recommendations as is being touted. No doubt, that spin-doctoring serves Government’s agenda, even if the project is unnecessary and unwise.
To my second point, the timing of presenting this to CPA with certain rubber-stamp arrival, 6 weeks before election confirms an agenda. But to what, or of more concern, whose end is this grandiose agenda?
Voters, stop that agenda!
Can they please get a radar system before any other airport upgrades. The airport is dangerous, ATC ask planes where they are and use Flightradar24 in the tower, the police helicopter turns off its ADS-B so criminals can’t track them on flightrader . Meaning other planes and the tower have no idea where they are either.
It’s about £2million for a proper system, well that’s what Jersey uk are paying. But no let’s make the rich have their own terminal and stuff safety.
Oh well, hopefully nothing happens but it really is a ticking time bomb
Trying to get their backhanded contracts in before judgement day. Spend it like you robbed it, which in fact they did with our money. Corrupt louts! Anyone who votes for these criminals needs to held accountable for selling out their islands.
IP Driver to the rescue!
To which Caymanians will this proposed elite aviation terminal and private runway? Do you want to know? I’ll tell you.
It will benefit the already rich and influential Caymanians, among them several politicians. Well, okay, not crazy about it, but guess it’s above our pay grade, right?
Not so fast. Who, pray tell, pays for it? Do the elite cobble together a few of their disposable millions to pay for something only they can use? Nope. It’s going to come out of the CIG coffers, that is, money collected from government for our duties and other tariffs, Our fees and licensing, work permits, and to a much lesser extent, cruise passenger head counts.
Getting the picture now? We don’t have a voice regarding what they spend the money on. We only get to collectively elect them. Thanks for nothing.
Well said. Where is the feasibility study . Well like the Barbados saga which was another brainchild of Bryan, there isn’t one. We is the feasibility study for a new cruise ship port? There isn’t one.
We are treated like mushrooms. We are fed bullshit and kept in the dark.
You could add a lot of other unnecessary capex projects that are going ahead or are planned with seemingly zero regard for cost or public opinion.
Like the $200Million prison resort with over $8Million in fees now being rushed by consultants without oversight.
More borrowed money for unnecessary projects rather than spending on trade schools to give young Caymanians skills for their future.
I don’t think its fair to expect all government agencies to stop all approved activities for two months while we decide who to vote on. Obviously no new initiatives (signing central government contracts for waste management, for example), but two authorities continuing a planning process that was doubtlessly started months ago and commits Government/Cayman to nothing it hasn’t already undertaken (remember this is just Planning permission, not the contract to build) is just normal day-to-day business.
You seem to miss the point that if by some miracle we elect an honest government in April 25 then the CPA will have a different composition (or ideally would be disbanded totally but I am not holding my breath.) Similarly if we somehow end up with a government that is not owned by the development cabal the membership of the NCA will also change with the appointment of people who are not part of the cabal and its minions.
All of which has no bearing on the OP that this is just continuing low-level government activity.
Take your scenario of a Government being elected that appoints a new CPA which – I assume in this/your scenario – would render a ‘do not build’ decision on the CIAA application because the new Govt is opposed to this airport expansion. Well, in a similar scenario where CIAA has received their planning approval (low level decision) but rightly not taken the high level decision to commit to a contract-to-build, your new ‘no new airport’ Government just has to pick up the phone and tell CIAA that their expansion plan is no longer approved and CIAA go back to the drawing board awaiting the new Government’s policy direction on air travel.
That’s why Government agencies continue to take low-level administrative action, like letting the planning application which given CPA’s usual speed was submitted months ago be heard, while Govt stops taking high-level decisions like committing millions of dollars on a contract to build anything. There is a difference between the two decisions. That is the point.
Whereas, good governance requires any theoretical infrastructure proposal be vetted with a published outline business case, open for public input and objection, an EIA on habitat and drainage impacts, long before the CPA rubber stamp, and final procurement award process can be contemplated. We might guess who has already won some of these closed bids.
Another frequent reminder that rooting out deep-set levels of corruption should be at the top of every Caymanian voter’s priority list this election. Vote wisely.
At all cost we must not vote for any person who have served two terms. The longer they have been in, the more chances we will get more of the same. Vote wisely!
Vote early and vote often!