Stocks Harbour marina plan rejected

Planners said the project, which included a 200-berth marina with associated parking and landscaping, would have destroyed sea grass habitats.

Members of the Development Application Board (DAB) maintained that construction would adversely impact the sea turtle population in the area.

But developers Stocks Harbour Marina have vowed to fight the decision. They are hopeful an appeal to the Minister responsible for planning, Glenn Blakeney, will lead to an overturn of the ruling.

In August the DAB deferred making a decision on whether to give the project in St. George’s the green light to give developers the chance to provide them with more information about environmental and parking concerns.

But members have now rejected the application, first put forward in 2008.

They also had concerns about the lack of on-site parking and believed the marina would have a “detrimental impact on the visual and scenic quality of the area due to its size”.

The Stocks Harbour Marina, which would have been located east of the Swing Bridge, would have been built off land owned by the Bermuda Land Development Company and constructed by Stocks Harbour Marina Ltd.

The marina would have comprised a series of floating docks and had been designed to withstand category four hurricane conditions.

Nick Hutchings, development spokesman, admitted he was disappointed by the board’s decision.

But he said the wheels are already in motion to appeal against the ruling.

He added: “He felt we had addressed a lot of the concerns raised by the board in August but it seems that was not the case.

“We still believe a marina in Stocks Harbour has a great number of advantages.

“The coastline is unique as you already have a fairly large protected bay and you do not need to build an expensive break-water.

“We still believe in this project and are hopeful that our appeal to the Minister will be successful.

“This would be a marina designed for the public.”