Tag: National Conservation Council
Lawyer argues review of CPA action in blues case is critical
(CNS): The lawyer representing the National Conservation Council, Chris Buttler KC, argued that the court needs to review the actions of the Central Planning Authority in the wake of unlawful land clearing of pristine habitat in blue iguana territory in East End. Buttler said the case is far more than an academic legal exercise. Until […]
NCC and CPA in court over unlawful road in blues territory
(CNS): Questions over whether or not the Central Planning Authority legally cancelled unlawful after-the-fact planning permission granted for a road in East End that cut through critical blue iguana habitat were argued in court Wednesday. The National Conservation Council continues to battle with planning officials and the repeated failure to follow the law and consult […]
Premier offers mixed message on changes to NCA
(CNS): Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly stated at a press briefing on Friday that the UPM Government is not going to remove the scientists from the National Conservation Council and will not weaken the National Conservation Act in any way. However, she also said that changes will be made to the legislation, and an amendment bill is […]
NCC corrects false narrative on DoE director’s power
(CNS): The National Conservation Council has refuted false claims and misinformation being circulated on social media that incorrectly suggest the director of the Department of Environment has unprecedented powers under the National Conservation Act (NCA) that elevates the post-holder above Cabinet and enables whoever holds the job to make decisions without accountability.
National Trust issues warning about gutting NCA
(CNS): The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is the latest organisation to issue a warning about the government’s plans to gut the National Conservation Act to essentially make development of all kinds even easier than it already is. In a statement issued on behalf of the Trust board and staff in response to the […]
Gutting the NCC is gutting the NCA through the backdoor
#DontPaveParadise writes: For the past month or so, there have been numerous news articles, social posts and widely circulated electronic messages that suggest that the UPM Government is going to bring amendments to the National Conservation Act (NCA) or, without bringing the matter to Parliament, summarily alter Schedule 2 of that Act, which deals with […]
NCC chair has ‘grave concerns’ about NCA changes
(CNS): Stuart Mailer, chairperson of the National Conservation Council, has said that members have “grave concerns” about possible changes to the National Conservation Act and the misinformation campaign designed to discredit the law and the work of both the NCC and the scientists it depends on at the Department of Environment. As he opened the […]
UPM aiming to gut National Conservation Act
(CNS): The UPM government has been holding a series of closed-door meetings in recent weeks, CNS has learned, in an effort to make worrying changes to the National Conservation Law to remove the already limited powers it provides to protect the environment. The UPM wants the requirement for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for government projects […]
Buttonwood removal case ‘complex’ and ‘unusual’
(CNS): Local attorney Ben Tonner KC told a court on Wednesday morning that he was still engaged in discussions with the crown relating to the case against his client, Bon Crepe Ltd, and its owner, James Bergstrom, who has been charged with taking a protective species in relation to buttonwood trees removed from land in […]
NCC wants input on protecting rare flowering herb
(CNS): Cayman Sage (Salvia caymanensis), a flowering herb native exclusively to Grand Cayman, was thought to have become extinct until it was rediscovered growing in the road verge on the Queen’s Highway in 2007. Now, because of its precarious existence, the National Conservation Council has begun a public consultation on a proposed species conservation plan […]
NCC in new CPA battle over blues threat
(CNS): The National Conservation Council appears set for another courtroom battle with the Central Planning Authority over after-the-fact planning permission granted for land clearing and a road cutting through land in East End that is home to Cayman’s endemic, critically endangered blue iguana. The CPA did not refer the application by Bon Crepe Ltd to […]
