The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE group Lighthouse Point Partners has urged the government to delay its decision on Lighthouse Point for 60 days, calling for an equal and fair opportunity to present its proposal for the property to the public.

In a statement yesterday, LPP insisted the group deserves to have “an equal opportunity” to present a development proposal publicly, similar to that given to its competitor, Disney.

The group said the people of the Bahamas, specifically those of South Eleuthera, should have the benefit of hearing from both proposals before a final decision is made.

Cabinet was expected to announce which of the two proposals it would support on Tuesday, but in a brief interview with The Tribune on that day, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said discussions on National Economic Council matters were put off to Friday to accommodate several ministers away on business.

LPP yesterday said it has requested of the government 60 days to present its plan to the people before the government makes its decision.

“Once all sides have had an equal and fair opportunity to present their plans, then it will be incumbent on the government to determine which proposal is in the best interest of all Bahamians, especially the people of South Eleuthera,” the group’s statement said.

“We would like to take this opportunity to urge the government to give the utmost consideration to its own economic data on tourism and visitor spending, which will show that our proposal will generate 26 times more in local benefit than Disney’s cruise port model.

“We will provide more jobs, better paying jobs, jobs right away, and real ownership for Bahamians. The financial backers of our plan have the funds to purchase the property, begin the development, and to immediately begin the hiring and training of South Eleutherans.”

The statement concluded: “We await (today’s) vote with hope and optimism that the best interest of the people of the Bahamas will be served.”

The statement comes just days after two of LPP’s leading voices, One Eleuthera Foundation Chief Executive Shaun Ingraham and Bahamas National Trust Executive Director Eric Carey revealed that the coalition group was mulling a judicial review style challenge over the lack of proper consultation should the government approve Disney’s $400m project.

In an interview with Tribune Business on Monday, Mr Ingraham said the move was “obviously an option” for LPP given the perceived “injustice” in how the government has treated their proposal.

This was an issue the LPP raised in a meeting with representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister last Friday.

For his part, Mr Carey maintained that the public needed to be consulted, insisting a town hall in South Eleuthera last week on the issue could not be considered official public consultation.

He told Tribune Business: “What we’ve asked for, as required by law and legal precedent with these developments, is that the government is required to do public consultation. That hasn’t happened yet.”

Mr Carey said “no agenda” was published for that meeting, and argued that many attendees thought it was part of Dr Minnis’ series of Family Island meetings where all the community’s issues – not just the proposed Disney project –- were to be discussed.

“It was not a legally required public consultation to allow the government to facilitate a process where our proposal was presented to the public to let them form their opinions and ask questions,” he added.

LPP has proposed constructing a sustainable development which will include a 100-unit eco-lodge and a learning and research centre with space to accommodate a 20-person class on a 100-acre site adjacent to the national park.

LPP claims the project should yield permanent economic contributions of 190 jobs, $7.7m in annual earnings, $13.76m in economic output annually, $11.56m in annual GDP increase and $300,000 in annual NIB payments.

Meanwhile, Disney has remained committed to its pitch to develop the property into one of the region’s top cruise ports, capable of generating millions in annual revenue.

To date, neither Disney Cruise Lines nor LPP has carried out a full environmental impact assessment, which is required by law.