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Dear Sir,

I believe most Bermudians support the revitalization of Tourism as a solid second pillar of our economy. However, in the apparent absence of an overall plan to achieve this goal, I am greatly concerned about the number of Special Development Orders (SDO's) being considered by the Department of Planning for two large scale luxury hotel and residence developments proposed for the south shore as well as the new Ritz-Carlton development, the expansion of Wyndham Resort, the proposed nine-storey hotel at the Coco Reef Resort and the villas at the Fairmont Hotel.

As Dorcas Roberts of the National Trust commented last week, SDOs were originally intended to protect what is left of our rapidly diminishing open spaces. They were to be used to override our critical development restrictions only in the case of national interest and as an option of last resort after public inquiries were held.

The Government has not articulated how this number of proposed new developments would serve the national interest and it appears that no public inquiries are planned, which is in clear violation of the intent of SDOs.

These inquiries are important to ensure that a proper balance is maintained between the scope and scale of these developments and the preservation of Bermuda's charm.

This approach is in conflict with the intentions of the Sustainable Development document supported by former Premier Alex Scott which sought to maintain between 30-45 per cent of Bermuda's land mass as open space for future generations.

Open space

Some of these proposed developments will encroach on land presently designated as agriculture, green space and woodland reserve. Based upon the experience of other countries, too much overbuilding will eventually have a negative impact on tourism.

In addition to these environmental concerns, I believe the following questions also need to be addressed:

n Will there be sufficient demand to ensure these new complexes can generate sufficient occupancy rates to be profitable?

n Notwithstanding the encouraging increase in the number of flights serving the island and the addition of low cost carriers, will there be adequate carrying capacity during periods of peak demand?

n Will these hotels truly provide work for Bermudians or will we require even more foreign workers,, adding to the strain on our infrastructure? I've read that many of these jobs aren't attractive to Bermudians as the wages aren't adequate to support a family. In addition, Bermudians will require extensive training to provide the level of service expected by guests in luxury hotels. Although one group has proposed to train Bermudians abroad, what about the others?

n What will be the impact of these developments on the redevelopment of the former Lantana site and the Club Med site in St. George? The former may be still viable, but I believe the latter would be doomed due to its necessary size and the overcapacity it would create. The Premier has stated that approximately a dozen groups have expressed interest in this site, but I can't believe interest can be sustained if two massive south shore developments come to fruition. From a strategic perspective, shouldn't St. George, a World Heritage site, be given priority, particularly since the transition to the mega cruise ships that will be berthed at Dockyard will negatively impact its economy?

n It is true that the Rtiz-Carlton would be primarily a business oriented hotel and would help to revitalize Hamilton so I am less concerned about it, but again it should go through the standard process which shouldn't have to be overly bureaucratic and drawn out.

In summary, we must revitalize our tourist industry with a product that is geared to upscale 21st century travellers. I believe this does require the renewal of existing hotel properties and the addition of new properties. The critical issues that need to be addressed are how many new properties, their location, how to manage their infrastructure implications, and how to ensure that they have minimum impact on our fragile environment and rapidly diminishing open spaces. Given the strategic nature of these decisions, I do not believe they should be addressed via SDO's.

Alan R. Titus

Hamilton Parish[[In-content Ad]]

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