Protesters to host tour of Tucker's Point SDO site

A coalition of historical societies and environmental groups is inviting the public on a walkabout of the area subject to the Tucker’s Point Special Development Order.

Expansion

The draft SDO was passed by MPs earlier this week and is due to be debated in the Senate on March 16.

The operators of Tucker’s Point, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, say expansion is needed to secure the five star resort’s financial viability.

Government says the SDO is in the national interest as the resort is important to Bermuda’s tourism product. But environmentalists argue the development will destroy protected woodland and open space. The area is also culturally and historically sensitive as land was forcibly taken from black families in the 1920s to be used in tourism.

The walk on Sunday will start at Bailey’s Bay Quarry, off Harrington Sound Road, and will cover two miles, taking about 90 minutes. Guides will point out significant sites of environmental and historical importance, such as the Tucker’s Town school, the General Store and the original Marsden Church.

Choice

Organizations taking part include Tucker’s Town Historical Society, Bermuda Audubon Society, Bermuda National Trust, Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce, Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda and Greenrock.

Keith DuBois, chairman of the Tucker’s Town Historical Society, said: “People will be able to make an informed choice as to whether they want to see a development on this land. They will see the environmental reserves and the historical aspect.

“They will see some of the old buildings and ruins.

“People will learn about the land in terms of its value to mankind.”

Denny Richardson, society deputy chairman, added: “The walk is going to be the start of reactivating an interest in the whole picture of Tucker’s Town.

“This is not an isolated situation [the development plans] but serves as a catalyst to what has happened in the past and the failures that have ensued, the hotels that have failed before.”