Tag: Department of Environment
DoE urges rethink of oceanfront setbacks
(CNS): The Department of Environment has said the current blanket approach to planning applications to build on the oceanfront needs to be reconsidered because it is not climate resilient. The experts said the current high water mark setback rules are based purely on beach or ironshore and take no account of the variety of coastlines […]
Hatchlings put on daytime show in Little Cayman
(CNS): Volunteers with the Department of Environment’s Turtle Team on Little Cayman were on hand last week to catch on camera the rare event of baby turtles hatching from their nests during daylight hours. Sea turtles usually emerge from their nests at night to prevent them from overheating and to evade hungry predators on land […]
CPA allows mangrove removal without plan
(CNS) UPDATED: Another slice of Grand Cayman’s primary mangrove habitat is going to be destroyed in North Side after yet another surprising decision by the new Central Planning Authority. The Department of Environment had advised the CPA not to permit a 0.37-acre plot off Old Robin Road to be cleared of this important and protected […]
CPA defies NCC order to clear Boggy Sand cabana
(CNS): Any hopes that the new Central Planning Authority would pay more attention to sustainable development than the old board were dashed this week with news that the controversial application to build a two-storey cabana at Boggy Sand Beach and replace the existing failing seawall on a similar footprint was approved, despite a lawful order […]
CPA refuses builder’s compound in mangroves
(CNS): A controversial application to completely clear a parcel of land of the remaining vegetation, which includes primary mangrove habitat, to store construction materials and dump dug-out soil from other sites was knocked back by the new members of the Central Planning Authority at their first meeting in July. An application by K&B Ltd to […]
Boggy Sand Beach cabana project ‘futile’
(CNS): The Department of Environment has once again directed the Central Planning Authority not to grant planning permission to the owners of a cabana and seawall on Boggy Sand Beach in West Bay to build any structure on the property. After failing to get planning permission in April to pull down the existing cabana and […]
New Seven Mile Beach wall already in ocean
(CNS): The sea wall project at Regal Beach Club condos on Seven Mile Beach, which has been causing a stir on social media as construction materials continue to fall into the sea, is an example of how efforts to address the beach erosion on Cayman’s famous but now dwindling stretch of beach can make things […]
Embryo pygmy whale a victim of TS Grace
(CNS): The body of a pygmy sperm whale that washed up on the beach in Bodden Town on Friday morning was a likely victim of Tropical Storm Grace, according to the Department of Environment. After examining the animal, the DoE experts concluded from its size, which was around three feet, and the underdevelopment of its […]
New Health City needs closer look before approval
(CNS): The planning application by Health City Cayman Islands requires a much closer look before the Central Planning Authority gives the project the green light, given its magnitude and the likely impact on the community, the Department of Environment has said. Although the National Conservation Council agreed it does not require a full environmental impact […]
At least seven sharks killed in local waters
(CNS): The Department of Environment recovered the bodies of six dead sharks from local waters last month and the fins of a nurse shark were found left on the dock at the Lobster Pot. Two of the dead sharks were Caribbean reef sharks found at the Newlands boat dock and had been killed with a […]
Beached juvenile dolphin rescued on 7MB
(CNS): A team effort between the Department of Environment, staff from the dolphinarium and the Cayman Turtle Centre led to the successful rescue of a juvenile bottlenose dolphin on Saturday morning. The distressed dolphin was spotted by the members of the volunteer turtle nesting team as they conducted nest patrols along Seven Mile Beach very […]
