Tag: Department of Environment
Critically endangered plant protection approved
(CNS): Cabinet has approved a species protection plan for the critically endangered Aegiphila caymanensis, an endemic plant that is unique to Grand Cayman, now only found in three known locations across the island with just fourteen confirmed surviving specimens. Also known as the spirit vine, it is a woody, clambering shrub with soft, downy leaves […]
$2M EIA contract awarded to US engineers
(CNS): A US engineering company, Whitman, Requardt & Associates LLP based in Maryland, has won the contract to conduct the environmental impact assessment for the controversial part of the East-West Arterial Extension from Woodland Drive in Bodden Town, through the critical Central Mangrove Wetlands, to Frank Sound in North Side.
Conch season ahead but restrictions remain
(CNS): The local conch season opens next Tuesday but officials from the Department of Environment are reminding people that restrictions remain in place limiting the catch and where conch can be taken. Marine Park rules and boundaries remain in full effect at all times and no conch may be taken from within the Marine Reserve […]
Over-water resort kicked back to DCB after appeal
(CNS): The Planning Appeals Tribunal has quashed a decision by the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Development Control Board (DCB) to grant planning permission for the land element of a resort in Little Cayman following a successful appeal by objectors. The tribunal found the lack of details to support the decision meant it couldn’t be […]
Entangled nurse shark in need of help
(CNS): The Department of Environment is asking the diving and snorkelling community to look out for a nurse shark that became entangled in a thick mesh bag which found its way into the sea. The DoE team said they are already doing their best to locate and assist the shark but so far they have […]
Rezone will increase pressure on 7M Public Beach
(CNS): Parliament has voted to rezone several parcels of land by Seven Mile Public Beach that will allow for ten-storey development and ultimately increase the pressure on one of only a handful of remaining places where people can still freely access Seven Mile Beach. The site of the RBS Coutts Building and Trafalgar Place is […]
Blue iguana stows away to George Town
(CNS): Members of the public were quick to spot that an iguana wandering around a parking lot in the industrial area of George Town was not a member of the invasive greens but one of Cayman’s rare and iconic blues. Surprised to see the animal so far from its usual habitat, they called the Department […]
CPA sticks by NCC order over turtle lights
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority has said it is obligated to follow a National Conservation Council direction to find that a condition of planning approval for turtle-friendly lighting at a proposed luxury beachfront house in Rum Point had not been met. During its meeting last week, the CPA said the recent court ruling meant they […]
NCC and CPA facing another potential battle
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority and the National Conservation Council might be engaged in yet another dispute over the council’s powers to curtail unsustainable development. This time, in one of only five projects where the NCC has issued a directive, the pending conflict is over a developer’s failure to submit an adequate turtle-friendly lighting plan […]
CPA makes terse response to Boggy Sand ruling
(CNS): Central Planning Authority Chairman Ian Pairaudeau issued a terse statement on Thursday about the Grand Court ruling in the judicial review of the ‘Boggy Sand ‘case indicating that the board’s lawyers are reviewing the judgment but made no comment on the findings. The ruling found that the CPA had acted unlawfully when it ignored […]
Court confirms NCC powers in Boggy Sand case
(CNS): The National Conservation Council does have the power to direct government bodies when their actions could have an adverse effect on protected areas or species, the Grand Court found in the long-awaited ruling in the ‘Boggy Sand’ judicial review, which was released Tuesday. The judge also found that the NCC can delegate that power […]
