Consultation Completed – Still Awaiting Results
Letter sent by Bermuda Audubon Society can be seen here.
Background Information
The Department of Parks has begun a public consultation on the proposed events lawn for Southlands Park. This Events lawn has been denied twice by the Department of Planning and was then approved on appeal by Minister Roban. As a result of legal action taken by the Bermuda Audubon Society, the appeal decision was withdrawn. This was because two main provisions of the National Parks Act had not been followed. The first is that the Minister must publish a notice in the Official Gazette and allow for public comments on any change of use of a National Park. Hence this consultation. The second is that in the absence of a management plan for the park, no change of use is allowed that in the opinion of the Minister would diminish the natural environment or historic features of the Park. We have no doubt that transforming a complex vibrant woodland into a monoculture lawn with surrounding trees would greatly diminish the natural environment of the Park.
Details of the Proposal
Description of the proposal can be found HERE. Please note that a new Conservation Management Plan has been developed which will likely supersede the plans contained in the consultation.
Major Concerns with Proposal
Please read the opinion piece in the Royal Gazette by Janice Hetzel, president of the Bermuda Audubon Society, “Government must respect sanctity of our parks.” Our main concerns are as follows:
Loss of Public Park Land
Destruction of Woodland Reserve
Disregard for Park Boundaries and Woodland Reserve Policies
Lack of a Management Plan for Southlands Park
Further Developments at Southlands Park
Loss of Public Park Land
This part of Southlands Park will no longer be public property and will be permanently lost as a resource for the people of Bermuda. Parks and natural spaces are essential to the physical and mental wellbeing of our community. Our National Parks System was created to protect special habitats and to provide open spaces for the enjoyment of the public. The Parks belong to us. We fought hard to have Southlands and every piece of it is important.
Destruction of Woodland Reserve
This area is zoned Woodland Reserve in the Bermuda Plan 2018. Woodland Reserve zoning was put in place to protect and preserve our remaining areas of undeveloped woods. This zoning should be respected by our governmen and it should remain a coastal forest. This woodland has a complex and diverse ecosystem that includes overstory trees with mixed shrubs and plants beneath. Many of these plants are native and endemic and even the non-native plants provide habitat for soil organisms, insects, lizards, birds and other wildlife. When you take away this diverse mix, you lose the habitat value of the woodland.
Disregard for Park Boundaries and Woodland Reserve Policies
The approved development plans for the Bermudiana Beach Resort place the catering services building directly on the lot line of the Park. They suggested that no setback was needed as the woodland would obstruct any view of the building. This was quite disingenuous as they had every intention of developing the adjacent events lawn. During construction a fence was built that extends beyond the lot line and into the Southlands Property. In addition, a significant area of the Woodland Reserve was cleared of trees on the Park side. This can be clearly seen on the aerial image supplied with the consultation. This is a clear encroachment into the Park property and a direct violation of the conservation policies of the Bermuda Plan.
Lack of a Management Plan for Southlands Park
The National Parks Act 1986 requires that a Management Plan be developed for each Park that “shall serve as a guide for all activities related to the management and administration of the protected area so that the purposes for which the areas was established are met and maintained.” There is a clearly established process for approval of a management plan requiring consultation with the public and the National Parks Commission. No Management Plan has been approved for Southlands Park. It is inappropriate to allow for piecemeal development of the Park without a clearly articulated vision and an approved management plan.
Further Developments at Southlands Park
The events lawn is not the only development that is being considered for Southlands Park. In December 2022, the Estates Department put out a call for Expressions of Interest for the renovation or development of the existing cottages on the property and also for the new development of a restaurant, washrooms and concession storage on the beach side of the property. The status of these proposals has not been made public. They also intend to create a new parking lot. In addition, we understand that a zip line is under consideration. All of these developments and the events lawn will change the face of Southlands.
