Planning board approves new desalination plant

The Central Planning Authority has approved an application from Cayman Water Company to build a new $2.5 million reverse-osmosis desalination plant off West Bay Road.

The board gave its approval for the new facility, which includes three 2-million-gallon water storage tanks on a nine-acre plot of land along Jasmine Blossom Way, following its 23 Aug. meeting.

The water company, in its application, said an additional plant was necessary to meet increased demand for potable water.

This was the second time the application for the desalination plant had been before the board. It turned down the plan in June 2020 because of a zoning issue and on the basis that the plant would be a “visual intrusion” on the surrounding area.

In its decision on the latest application, the planning board determined that the proposed development was “light industry” within a site zoned as ‘neighbourhood commercial’, and noted that the 1997 Development Plan gives the board the discretion to rule that light industrial development is permissible in commercial zones.

“In this instance, the Authority is of the view that the proposed use is acceptable in the
Neighbourhood Commercial zone and it complies with the required setbacks and all
other requirements applicable to that type of development,” the board stated in its minutes of the meeting.

It added that the proposed facility – which is on Dart-owned Cayman Shores Development Ltd. land – would be “bounded by commercial and institutional uses and one residential property and the Authority is of the view that the proposed use will not detract from the ability of surrounding land owners from enjoying the amenity of their properties”.

The board also stated that the desalination plant would service the needs of the community and residents in the area, and it agreed with Cayman Water Company’s analysis that the plant is needed in order to meet the demands for water supply, especially as the Britannia Water Works site will soon be decommissioned. The land lease at the Britannia site is set to expire in May 2026.

The Central Planning Authority, in setting out the reasoning behind its decision, said it was of the view that the proposed plant “won’t pose a visual intrusion on surrounding properties”, as vegetation could be put in place along the property’s 20-foot buffer to block the plant from view. This would be required as a condition of approval, it added.

The company, which supplies water to customers along Seven Mile Beach and West Bay, had told the planning board that demand for potable water would keep increasing as there are several big developments under construction or projected for the southern end of its service area in the coming years. It cited such developments as the Indigo Hotel, Water Mark Hotel and Residences, Kapok building in Camana Bay, Health City Camana Bay, Olea, a new Camana Bay office building and the new Lacovia.

The company had also argued in its application that the new plant would be beyond the minimum recommended distance from the George Town landfill and the neighbouring sewage treatment facility.