Mr. Godfrey, who is developing the St. Francis Resort & Marina, continues to face opposition from “The Coalition For The Protection and Conservation Of Stocking Island”, headed by Howard Bottomley, who is said to be the caretaker or a residence on the island.
He and his group claim that the ecological fallout of dredging on the island has been profound and that there was other damage caused to the island by the work being carried out on the 12-room resort and 15-slip marina.
The Coalition lost a case before the Supreme Court last November in which it sued the Minister of Health; the Director of Physical Planning; the Exuma Cays District Council; and St. Francis Resort & Marina Limited.
The group had challenged the issuance of a dock licence and a dredging permit for the project.
But Justice John Lyons said, “I am unable to find any merit in the challenge to the dock licence…The challenge to the issue of the dredging permit is unsuccessful.”
He said “The dredging is complete. It cannot be undone; the applicants could have brought action much earlier when they first knew the dredge was in operation.”
The dredging was necessary for the development of the marina, Mr. Godfrey said.
A letter from Brian Kakuk of the Bahama Caves Research Foundation, which was forwarded to the Bahama Journal by Mr. Bottomley, said Mystery Cave and Angelfish Blue Hole are within 200 feet of Mr. Godfrey’s development.
Within the passages of the caves, Mr. Kakuk said, “I have helped researchers find at least 30 species of specialized sponges, many of which are new to science.”
As reported in an earlier Journal article, he wrote to the Department of Fisheries that a deep injection well sewage system is also planned for this development, “but the developers seem to be unaware of the fact that they are located directly above one of the deepest fracture cave systems in the Exumas. An injection well of this type would surely penetrate the cave, making the entire system a conduit for sewage, with the entrances of the caves pouring directly into the bay.”
Mr. Bottomley has said in a letter to the prime minister that the site for the project is unsuitable, threatens the environment, devaluates the land and adversely effects local tourism.
In his letter to the prime minister, dated September 12, 2002, Mr. Bottomley said, “While some may believe this involves just a few disgruntled foreigners, we assure you that this is not the case.”
He said the mission of the group is the “conservation and protection of Stocking Island. While currently focusing on this St. Francis Resort and Marina project, the group is in general committed to opposing with the fullness of its resources, any project, construction activity, or development which jeopardizes the well being of Stocking Island.”
But Mr. Godfrey told the Journal Sunday that the relevant government agencies are satisfied that the project is environmentally-sound. He said Financial Services and Investments Minister Allyson Maynard-Gibson was on the island about two weeks ago to view the development.
Mr. Godfrey said that Mr. Bottomley has been spreading lies regarding his development.
He said as a result of the legal fight, he has lost profits and has had to face increasing costs.
Mr. Godfrey added, “There are punitive damages, they have slandered us and given us a bad name.”
While his development appears to be on a small scale, Mr. Godfrey pointed out that it will have a wide economic impact on the Exuma economy and on the wider Bahamian economy.
The South African developer also has a major boat building operation in his homeland. He said that persons seeking customized boats will be flown to the Exumas to view the boats that he has available there.
“We will be creating jobs and brining in tourists,” he said.
In an earlier interview with the Journal, Mr. Godfrey said he doubted that the objections of Mr. Bottomley and his supporters have anything to do with environmental concerns.
“It’s got nothing to do with the environment or anything. It has all got to do with [the fact that] Mr. Bottomley does not want any development on Stocking Island. He’s saying we’re driving off foreign investors, but at the same time, he’s trying to drive us away,” he said.
Mr. Godfrey was given the okay to construct the development back in 1997 by the former Free National Government administration and has since gotten assurances from the present government.
Mr. Godfrey told the Journal last week that doing business in the Bahamas is very difficult and if he had to do it again, he would not.
Yvette Rolle-Major, The Bahama Journal
