Two developers have applied for planning permission to create a 29-acre, 50-foot deep, commercial quarry next to the protected Meagre Bay Pond in Bodden Town.
Barrington Bennett and Amelia De Wood plan to excavate 2.3 million cubic yards of aggregate over three years, according to the Central Planning Authority’s meeting agenda.
Their $30 million plans include constructing an earthen bank along the eastern and southern ends of the quarry to prevent the overflow of storm water into the saltwater pond.
And at the conclusion of the quarrying, the developers have proposed that the resulting lake be zoned for use as a floating solar farm.
The development plans were up for discussion during the Wednesday, 21 June, meeting of the board at the Government Administration Building.
In their application letter, the developers said excavation works, which will be completed in six phases, will begin at the south of the quarry and proceed north.
Excavated material will be stockpiled in an area to the south which has been designated as a proposed quarry extension – although no application on that has been submitted to date.
“In the event that this happens sooner than anticipated, then the stockpiling will occur on the east side of the quarry adjacent the access road,” the developers said.
EIA needed
In its review of the plans, the Department of Environment said the National Conservation Council has determined that an environmental impact assessment is required.
This is in accordance with section 43 of the National Conservation Act due to the type, scale and location of the project, it said.
The department also mentioned the Central Planning Authority’s Aggregate Policy which was approved in Cabinet in 2004.
The policy states that no new quarries will be approved until the combined total reserves of all licensed quarries reach a quantity equal to a five-year supply or 5 million cubic yards.
However, the last review in 2021 determined that the aggregate reserve was 32 million cubic yards – well above the threshold maximum.
The authority refused planning permission on 5 Sept. 2018 for a similar quarry because of the same stipulations in the Aggregate Policy.
‘National significance’
In the agenda, the Aggregate Advisory Committee also submitted a review of the plans.
It said the four member agencies of the committee met with the developers on 17 March to discuss their proposal.
Following the meeting, the committee concluded that there is concern about the potential impact on the Meagre Bay protected area – “a wetland of national significance”.
“There is empirical evidence that the mangroves in the protected area have been declining over recent years, and it is hypothesised this is due to impacts of quarrying,” they said.
“If there is a link between quarry activities and the decline of this protected area, then it is essential that an effective solution is implemented to mitigate further damage.”
The committee added that it was “somewhat sceptical” that the proposed equipment could excavate to the target depth, which is essential for productivity.
And it said it did not find an exceptional need to disregard the Aggregate Policy strategy of deferring new quarries until the aggregate reserve reaches a five-year supply.
“The policy has served Cayman very well over the past 20 years to facilitate development while minimising its impact on the environment,” the committee wrote.
In its analysis, the Planning Department said although the site is zoned as ‘agriculture/residential’, the proposed quarry will be near several other commercial quarries.
“Therefore, the proposal is consistent, in terms of suitability, with past quarry permissions,” it wrote in the agenda.
The Central Planning Authority’s decision will be published in minutes of the meeting in about three weeks.
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