A proposal to demolish the 35-year-old Aqua Bay Club on Seven Mile Beach and build a 10-storey apartment block has been sent to the National Conservation Council for review.
The council will examine any “potential adverse effects” that the development could have on the environment, before the plan is returned to the Central Planning Authority.
The move comes following a landmark Court of Appeal case on a controversial planning application earlier this year, which changed the pathway to approval.
Judges concluded that the council must be consulted on applications likely to cause a negative impact on marine parks, environmentally protected areas or species.
Adverse effects
The $60 million plan is for a tower block set 190 feet from the high-water mark with 38 apartments and a pool, to be built on the 1.4-acre beachfront plot in West Bay.
Developers are also requesting permission to create 63 parking spaces – some of which will be located on a plot on the other side of West Bay Road.
The Central Planning Authority discussed the application, which has received considerable opposition, during its 11 Oct. meeting.
More than 43 letters of objection have been penned by nearby residents and homeowners, with some signed by more than one person. Twelve objectors attended the meeting.
Among their concerns are the building’s appearance and size, increased traffic noise and fumes, disruption to nesting turtles, and beach erosion from a protective seawall.
The authority told those gathered that the meeting would not go into the details of the application, but would simply decide if it needed to be sent to the Conservation Council.
The attorney for one of the objectors highlighted a paragraph that he said is repeated in many of the objection letters and shows adverse effects, according to the meeting minutes.
It reads: “The beachfront at The Palms and Aqua Bay is well known by Department of Environment as a very active sea turtle nesting area.
“A project of this magnitude with demolition and reconstruction going on for at least two to three years will almost certainly have an adverse effect on that activity.
“We cannot tell what mitigations are planned for lighting, beach protection from construction debris, etc. from the proposed plans.”
A member of the authority then read the list of potential adverse effects on the environment, allowing both a representative of the developers and objectors to comment.
Out with the old
This is the first time the plan has been submitted for approval, after the company in 2020 announced that the current condo owners had voted in favour of the site’s redevelopment.
If approved, the Butler Development Group will take control of the project – which will see the existing property torn down and the pool demolished.
The letters of objection to the planning authority all came from residents or owners of the adjacent properties – The Palms and Silver Sands.
Most used the same template, “strenuously” objecting to the proposal and describing the reasons why.
Meanwhile, in its assessment, the Planning Department said the proposed tower is 11 storeys or more, as it includes underground parking and two levels of rooftop structures.
“The authority has no discretion to allow more than 10 storeys,” it said, referring to the Development and Planning Regulations, 2022.
According to the Department of Environment in its analysis of the project, the proposal is another in a string of similar redevelopment projects along Seven Mile Beach.
It said they will make the beaches busier, exacerbate traffic issues and change the view of Seven Mile Beach from low rise to high rise.
The department drafted several conditions for the developers to help to protect nesting turtles and the surrounding beach and marine environment.
Butler Development Group, in its letter to the planning authority, asked for a variance in density, and insisted the property will be consistent with the character of the area.
It added that, if approved, the project will create $10 million in development revenue for the government and “excellent” employment opportunities.
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