Opposition pledges support for Plan Cayman

Opposition legislators have voiced their support for the National Planning Framework (Plan Cayman) as they welcomed movement on the document meant to map out a long-awaited development plan for the Cayman Islands.

Deputy Opposition Leader Joey Hew, in a statement Tuesday afternoon in response to a Cayman Compass article on the latest progress on the framework, said the Progressives team supports Planning Minister Jay Ebanks in moving forward with Plan Cayman and bringing it to his Caucus and Cabinet.

“I have spoken many times on Plan Cayman. When I was Minister responsible for Planning, I said that the Plan Cayman planning framework is the best opportunity for the country to get a badly needed modern Development Plan,” Hew, the  shadow planning minister, said in his statement.

The Planning Ministry, in response to Compass queries, said that under the guidance of the Central Planning Authority, “the Department of Planning is currently in the process of seeking approval of the National Planning Framework (Plan Cayman) document.”

Phase one of the five phases (area plans) will cover the review of the Seven Mile Beach corridor for the 2022/2023 financial year, the ministry said.

“The Department will also commence the review of the development and building control framework in the second area plan. The intention is that the area plans will implement the objectives of the National Planning Framework but will offer area specific variations to meet the particular needs of the different places,” it added.

Plan Cayman, which initially began under the Progressives-led administration, “will ensure that land-use decisions work hand in hand with the economic, social and environmental well-being of our Islands,” the ministry explained.

Hew, in his statement, pointed out that following the election, Premier Wayne Panton did not support the Plan Cayman framework, “but I am hoping that will now change. An updated National Development Plan is critical for our future and must be beyond partisan politics.”

He said he understood that the Central Planning Authority supports the Plan Cayman framework methodology, and it now has the support of the planning minister.

“We expect that Minister Jay Ebanks will have the full support of his colleagues in Caucus and Cabinet to allow Plan Cayman to move forward,” Hew said, adding that includes “completing the work already started to review the Seven Mile Beach area plan, and then to move on to complete the Development Plan for all areas of Grand Cayman”.

The last development plan for the Cayman Islands was created back in 1997 and remains the only one in use, though over the years there have been attempts to update it.

Plan Cayman, which was started under former Premier Alden McLaughlin’s administration in 2018, was marketed as a long-range comprehensive plan to guide physical development and the overall use of land on Grand Cayman.