A changing and growing skyline appears to be part of an inevitable future for Grand Cayman after a slew of 10-storey development proposals were presented in 2023.
The latest sizeable planning application was for a $30 million complex with a 10-storey apartment block next to the Cayman Pickleball Tennis Academy on West Bay Road.
Owners at The Commonwealth, Mandalay and Discovery Point Club condos have all objected to the proposal.
Developers also submitted a $60 million plan for a 10-storey apartment block with 38 apartments and a pool on the 1.4-acre beachfront site of Aqua Bay Club in West Bay.
The proposal has been sent to the National Conservation Council for review of any adverse effects to the environment that may be caused by the build.
Meanwhile, Dart’s development arm Cayman Shores Development have said they will soon be applying for permission to build a second 10-storey office block in Camana Bay.
The tower will be located directly next to 60 Nexus Way – the first 10-storey commercial building to be constructed in the Cayman Islands – which officially opened earlier this year.
And in July, planning chiefs granted permission for the owners of The Westin to build a 10-storey hotel block with 234 guest rooms at its resort in Grand Cayman.
Invincible Investment Corporation’s $153 million expansion project also includes an offsite carpark with 350 spaces near Sunshine Suites, accessible using a shuttle or valet service.
Plans for the 10-storey three building Lacovia development also moved forward, with developers suggesting the old resort would be demolished in the summer.
As the buildings got higher in 2023, the beaches got smaller.
Passing hurricanes and tropical storms brought strong waves and currents during the year, stripping sand from the shoreline.
Following the passage of Hurricane Idalia in late August, some areas along the southern stretch of Seven Mile Beach suffered a total loss of sand.
Meanwhile, a multi-million dollar long-term plan to replenish the sand which was dubbed “urgent” appears to have stalled.
Seawalls continue to be a contentious issue, with the Department of Environment stressing it does not support the “armouring” of the coastline, adding a high level policy is needed.
Despite the insistence from environmental chiefs that they should not be approved, applications for seawalls continue to be sent to the Central Planning Authority.
Among the proposals this year were for seawalls at a home in the East End, at Rackham’s Waterfront Restaurant and Bar, at Sol Petroleum in South Sound and Laguna Del Mar.
In a move welcomed by environmentalists in 2023, a legal battle between two government bodies led to more conservation scrutiny over planning applications.
It stemmed from a proposal in 2021 from Cayman Property Investments to demolish and rebuild a cabana and seawall on an eroded section of beach on Boggy Sand Road.
The Central Planning Authority had granted permission to the company to demolish and replace the structures, contrary to a directive from the National Conservation Council.
This was found to be unlawful, and now the council has the ‘final word’ on applications that may have adverse effects on marine parks or other environmentally protected areas.
Related Videos
Article after article about how there is NO sand on SMB and the government is suppose to do something, WHEN is it going to happen?????