Government has brought in professional facilitators to host a summit in an effort to resolve what it calls longstanding tension between development and environmental policy.
The parliamentary opposition has declined an invite to be involved in what it described as “closed door discussions” and called for transparency over who is shaping government policy.
The Cayman Forward forum, set for Friday 5 June and includes input from planning and conservation officials, is characterised by government as a stakeholder consultation exercise that seeks to resolve disagreements and forge a joint way forward.
There have been numerous conflicts over the past few years between the Central Planning Authority and the National Conservation Council over development that could negatively impact the environment, including two court battles between the two arms of government.
The conflicts reflect wider disagreement over the future of Cayman’s built environment and the preservation of open spaces.
Government announced the plan on Earth Day for the forum, ‘Cayman Forward: Aligning the Natural and Built Environment’, saying it would bring together different government departments, industry and the community to identify solutions and inform policymaking.
Friday’s session follows a written consultation exercise that wrapped up this week.
A spokesperson for the premier’s office said the session is facilitated by ForgeFront, a UK-based consultancy whose principals have worked on similar policy challenges with other governments. She said that any proposals or legislative changes coming out of the exercise would go through the formal parliamentary process, including public consultations.
PPM Leader of the Opposition Joey Hew released an open letter to the premier and an accompanying press release questioning the process. The party indicated it agrees that the impasse between the two factions needs urgent attention but argued this should take place in public.
“The people of the Cayman Islands deserve transparency, not closed-door discussions.
“They deserve to know who is shaping policy, what proposals are being considered, and how decisions affecting their future are being made. Government must govern. Parliament must scrutinise. Transparency matters,” the opposition said.
In an interview with the Compass last month, Premier André Ebanks, highlighted resolving the tension as fundamental to Cayman’s future.
“The built environment and the natural environment need each other,” he said. “There is far too much tension between them both, and we need to be able to, as a country, determine firmly where we are going to protect and where we are going to consider for the built environment.”
Responding to questions from the Compass on Thursday, the spokesperson said the process of Cayman Forward was proven globally and any policy recommendations would come to the public.
“New to Cayman but proven in countries around the world, ForgeFront’s process seeks input from government, industry and community stakeholders. This phase wrapped up this week and will help inform a meeting of relevant stakeholders on Friday as well as final recommendations. Any resulting proposed changes to legislation or regulations will naturally follow the formal constitutional and parliamentary processes,” the spokesperson added.
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