Franklin Par-Smith, who has been farming in the Cayman Islands since the 1970s, came before the Central Planning Authority on Wednesday to address concerns about clearing work on two acres of his land.
Par-Smith received an enforcement notice for unauthorised quarrying of rocks on the East End property. However, he said in the hearing that he had only hired Beacon Farms to help crush rock on the land to make it farmable, mixing the fragments with compost to create usable soil.
The Department of Environment provided comments to the CPA on 4 Dec., stating it was concerned the original application for works on the land did not accurately reflect the extent of work actually being done at the site, based on what conservation officers observed when visiting the site last October.
The department also shared its concern for how works may affect species, including the blue iguana, which populate the nearby Salina Reserve.
“We believe that the after-the-fact and ongoing clearing and excavation represents an unauthorised quarry and not a simple land clearing exercise,” the department wrote. “Given the level of excavation and the amount of soil and rock which has left site, we do not believe it is plausible that this is for farming.”
However, Par-Smith told the CPA that, to his knowledge, none of the rock left the property.
Board members said on Wednesday that if, in fact, the rock remained on site, the work would not be considered quarrying, and Par-Smith would not need to submit an application for such farming on his own land.
Par-Smith noted the matter has come before a judge, and CPA members advised him to seek clarification from the court as to whether the enforcement notice was valid in the absence of quarrying.
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