A $40 million commercial and residential complex in George Town which had been granted planning permission before the decision was later overturned, is being reconsidered by the planning board.
International Mall Ltd., the developers of City Plaza on Crewe Road and City Walk on Maple Road, is applying for permission to build three commercial buildings and 44 townhouses arranged across seven buildings with a gated entrance on a 4.36-acre vacant plot of land on the corner of Walkers Road and Ellery Merren Drive.
Shops and homes planned
The plans also include space for at least two restaurants, a swimming pool and a one-storey gym building, with a total of 30,102 square feet of retail space and 79,189 square feet of residential space.
The development, which is located in Neighbourhood Commercial and Low Density Residential zones, had been granted planning permission by the Central Planning Authority in September 2024 subject to various conditions and revisions to the plans, including the removal of a restaurant drive-through and reducing the total number of bedrooms to 70.
That decision was later appealed and, in Oct 2025, the Planning Appeal Tribunal overturned the planning permission, citing in its written decision, “a number of errors of law and fact” and found that the process was both procedurally unfair and legally deficient in several respects.
Resubmitted plans
As a result of the tribunal’s ruling, new plans and documents had to be submitted to the Central Planning Authority. The plans have now come back before the planning board with various changes, including the removal of the proposed drive-through, a smaller gym and changes to parking allocation.
Objections to the plan will be considered at the Central Planning Authority meeting on 4 March, as well as whether family rooms and offices should be considered as bedrooms in the application, which will take the number of bedrooms from 70 to 134.
A letter submitted by Jess Peacy from PPDS Cayman Ltd. as part of the application said that the revised proposal “directly addressed” the matters raised by the tribunal, adding, “The site is considered to represent a suitable location for townhouse development, having regard to the zoning intent, the established mixed-use character of Walkers Road, the availability of infrastructure and services and the broader strategic objectives of the Development Plan.”
But objectors to the plans say that the size and nature of the development would not be in keeping with the character of the area and that it is contrary to the Development Plan. Eleven objections have been filed citing concerns including increased traffic, noise, late-night lighting and the environmental impact.
In its feedback to the Central Planning Authority with regard to the application, the Department of Environment noted that the site is on “primary habitat”, which represents more mature growth and typically includes dry shrubland and forests.
As the Compass reported at the time, a social media storm erupted in July last year when it emerged that trees were being cleared from the site by heavy machinery while the appeal was being heard. Under the existing planning laws and regulations, after the initial approval, the developer is legally allowed to clear most of the trees while an appeal is pending.
The Central Planning Authority‘s decision on the application will be published in the minutes of the meeting at a later date.
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