Vexed Bermoothes

The Southlands saga takes another step as the Southlands team makes its presentation to Cabinet today.

I don’t buy the official explanation that there was “too much concrete” in the proposal to explain Government’s foot dragging.  I do think we need to plan Morgan’s Point carefully – but I don’t think that’s what’s going on here.  To me this sounds like more political tinkering.

Just to make a point:

• The original Southlands plan for Warwick had impressive levels of concrete – that’s what made the community gasp and rise up leading to the Morgan’s Point shuffle in the first place.
• And the subsequent Jumeirah plan for Morgan’s Point that the Premier supported called for 450 rooms, a private residence club (fractionals) of another 450 condos, a spa, a marina, shopping village, and golf club.  A little concrete there too.
  

If the Premier has a sudden allergy to concrete, where’s his concern over the Grand Atlantic project on a narrow 13 acre site in Warwick?

• In 2007 Government provided an SDO for the development of the Grand Atlantic Resort to develop a 220-room hotel with nearly 70 residential units for international buyers as well as a two story retail centre.
• In 2009 Government amended that to allow a scaled down 100-room hotel (and 10 fractional condos) with 125 low-cost homes for Bermudians next door (roughly double the size of the intensive Paget Loughlands development).  Government hinted that it would commit up to $50 million to the BHC component of the project.

It seems that the Premier’s public positions are not set in concrete – and that little of it gets poured under his watch either.