development
VIPP misleading public on port project risks
(CNS): The Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) said claims by the consortium that was chosen to build the controversial cruise project about the reduced environmental harm of this current design are misleading and the new plans may be just as damaging, or even more so, than those from 2015. The EAB has said Verdant Isle Port […]
CPA clears developer over mangrove destruction
(CNS): Planning officials have confirmed that on Wednesday the Central Planning Authority approved an after-the-fact application by a developer for the removal of mangroves from an important drainage area in Prospect, which has already been done illegally. Despite recommendations from the Department of Environment to refuse, the CPA opted to allow the clearance, with the […]
More mangroves illegally cleared
(CNS): Despite continued calls from the Department of Environment to stop the clearance of mangroves on sites without planning permission, developers are still ripping up these critical species. The Central Planning Authority considered an application for after-the-fact land clearance in Prospect on Wednesday, after a developer removed several acres of mangroves, which were part of […]
Judge orders port referendum law quashed
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has been ordered to quash the referendum law it passed to pave the way for the people’s vote on the cruise port project. Justice Tim Owen, who had found that the legislation was incompatible with the constitution, said in his latest ruling on the remedy following the judicial review that […]
CIG tackling rising rent and house prices
(CNS): The explosion in the cost of rent on Grand Cayman, which many believe is exacerbated by the growth locally in the use of short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, plus the rising property prices, often blamed on foreign investment, is having a huge effect on the cost of living. In response, Housing Minister Dwayne Seymour […]
Could court ruling see port project dropped?
(CNS): Opposition leader Arden McLean has said it is time for government to drop the cruise port project and get on with more important things. Citing widespread opposition, the destruction of our natural resources and the government’s failure to justify the business case, he questioned the motivation for even taking the process this far. It […]
Premier plans appeal over port vote ruling
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin issued a very short statement in the wake of Justice Tim Owen’s ruling Wednesday, in which he confirmed that government would be taking advantage of the judge’s offer to grant leave to appeal in the case. Despite the damning findings of the judge about how government handled the case, McLaughlin showed […]
Gov’t must pass general law before any PIR
(CNS): In Justice Tim Owen’s full ruling on the successful judicial review brought by Shirley Roulstone, a leading member of the Cruise Port Referendum (CPR) group, he outlined the necessity of a general framework law to be in place before any bespoke legislation can be brought setting a date and question for a people-initiated referendum […]
Shirley triumphs in port challenge
(CNS): Shirley Roulstone, a leading member of the campaign for a people’s referendum on the proposed cruise project, emerged victorious on Wednesday after Justice Tim Owen QC allowed her judicial challenge to the government’s referendum law for the port. He said the law drawn up by government was, as argued, unconstitutional. Owen also ordered government […]
Cove’s waived planning permission ‘missing’
(CNS): Despite revelations that Cabinet has waived the requirement for planning permission for the Smith Barcadere Project, there is no sign of the necessary gazette required to make the waiver lawful. While Cabinet has the power to grant a planning permission exemption, and is understood to have done so “in the public interest” in the […]
Legal aid refused in ‘secret’ Dart beach access fight
(CNS): The battle to retain the natural beauty of Smith Cove and keep the place accessible to locals is one of several ongoing beach access fights the public is now engaged in. As access to the famous Seven Mile Beach for ordinary people has virtually disappeared, a group of women from West Bay, who believe […]
