The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Green Turtle Cay residents yesterday said they are exploring potential legal action as opposition to the proposed Gillam Bay development intensifies over the need to preserve what they say is one of the cay’s last undeveloped coastal areas.

Following last week’s Town Hall meeting on the development, opposition extends beyond environmental concerns, with many residents expressing frustration over what they describe as a lack of transparency throughout the approval process and arguing the community was deprived of an opportunity to voice concerns before environmental approvals were granted.

The proposed project by developer Reginald Curry has already received a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) from the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) for nine 1,900-square-foot villas, a clubhouse with restaurant and bar, administrative offices and back-of-house facilities.

DEPP officials have maintained the project complied with all legal and environmental requirements, and said a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and public consultation were not required because the proposal did not meet the statutory threshold. Any future marina, dock or marine works would require a separate application and environmental review.

Elvardo Butler, Green Turtle Cay’s deputy chief councillor, said the overwhelming majority of residents who have approached him oppose the project.

“I was elected by the Green Turtle Cay people to represent the Board,” Mr Butler said. “And from what I can see, definitely no one wants that development to go on. They just care to save that parcel of land to be used for generations to come as a recreational area, also for nature.”

Mr Butler argued the Government should consider reclaiming the land and preserving it for public use. He suggested the property could instead become a national park or be placed under the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) to protect it for future generations.

“It was granted by the Government,” he said. “It’s not like it’s a private parcel of land that someone went out and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in. The Government has the right to take it back if they wish and listen to the people.”

While acknowledging North Abaco MP Kirk Cornish’s explanation that any challenge would ultimately have to be pursued through the courts, Mr Butler said many residents feel they were not adequately informed early enough to object.

“If you don’t know something is going on, how could you prevent something from going on that you’re unaware of?” he said. “We’re not trying to break the law. We’re trying to uphold the law.”

Mr Butler said rumours first surfaced about three years ago that work in the area was only intended to provide utility access to another development. “They told us they were only pushing the road through there to get power to another project,” he said.

He added that during his two terms on the local government Board he has never experienced this level of public concern. “I have never had this many people approach me asking, ‘What are you going to do? What are you going to say?’ The vast majority of people do not want it.”

Mr Butler said he does not believe the opposition is personal. “Living in The Bahamas, you understand what we have and we sell it all off… then we all got nowhere to go,” he said. “If it’s possible, we’ll preserve it. If it’s not, whatever happens in the end, at least we tried.”

Carol Jean Lowe, owner of Kool Kart Rentals, described the atmosphere at the Town Hall meeting as tense from the outset.

“I’ve never been to a meeting before like this in my life,” she said, recalling officials informing attendees they would each have only three minutes to speak and warning police officers would remove anyone who became disruptive.

Ms Lowe said residents repeatedly questioned why they had not been informed about the project sooner. “Nobody knew this project was even going on,” she said. “Everybody kept asking about it. We were always told they were only pushing a road through there to get power.”

She said DEPP officials informed residents that the necessary environmental approvals had already been granted before the matter reached the local Board. According to Ms Lowe, every attendee except one opposed the development.

She also questioned whether the project’s location on shifting sand should have warranted additional scrutiny. “When we started dating in 1984, that area was a total sandbar covered over with water,” she said. “How could they even give anything away that wasn’t property? It’s just pure sand. It moves all the time.”

Ms Lowe said residents are now organising a legal response. “I think they’ve already acquired a lawyer, and we’re trying to get a meeting with the Prime Minister as of right now,” she said.

She also claimed the area serves as a bird sanctuary with nesting birds currently present.

Resident David Farrington described Gillam Bay as one of Green Turtle Cay’s last remaining natural recreational areas. Mr Farrington said residents were not necessarily opposed to development generally but believed a project of this scale should have involved earlier community engagement.

“A lot of this nobody knew about, and now it’s thrown in our face,” he said. “If I was doing a development like this, I would let the community know, especially considering where it is.”

However, not all residents share that view. One resident, who requested anonymity, argued the developer had complied with every regulatory requirement.

“All the environmental impact studies were done,” he said. “He received his CEC from the Government. He got all of the relevant documents.

“There’s a few people, native, who will not like to see it. But the majority of those persons are Americans. You would have about 50 percent of the people on Green Turtle Cay who will not like to see it happen.”

The resident also argued previous prominent members of the community had unsuccessfully sought to acquire the same property.

“This is not an all-of-a-sudden pop-up thing,” the resident said. “Persons tried to get that before… and they didn’t get it. Now Mr Curry is able to get it.” The resident added the development would require improvements to an existing access road that could provide easier public access to the area.