Topic: Lands

The creation of a new public park in George Town is part of a concerted strategy to buy up private land for public parks, beaches and open space, Minister Jay Ebanks says.

Construction work has commenced on the new Pease Bay public beach and park, with a projected completion date of August this year.

Legal drafters penning an 82-page law to create a unified regulatory office for Cayman’s utility providers did not solicit opinions from the half-dozen affected companies, instead they only consulted their controlling agencies.

In an eight-page response to Cayman Water Company CEO Rick McTaggart, government has sought to counter calls to withdraw and rewrite proposed legislation creating a single office regulating Cayman’s utility companies.

Cayman Water has asked government to withdraw and rewrite a proposed bill investing a new utilities regulation office with broad unilateral powers to control the firm’s activities. The company says it was not consulted on the bill.

Utility chiefs have reacted cautiously to Monday’s publication of a draft law creating a unified commission to oversee water, electricity, telephone and fuel providers, while dissolving separate regulatory bodies previously responsible for each industry.