Minister of the Environment Earl Deveaux landed in some hot water when it was reported that he had taken free helicopter rides from a wealthy foreigner who had development plans pending approval from the government.
It is now reported that approval of the plans is anticipated following a favourable Environmental Impact Assessment of the project.
Dr Eric Mueller, of eVm Research and Design, assessed the dredging areas for the EIA and reported, “no significant Environmental Impact is anticipated in the project area”.
Plans include dredging 8.8 acres of sea bed and excavating sand and rock at Bell Island, a 349-acre island in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.
The plans were submitted by Island of Discovery Limited, presumably owned by billionaire Islamic leader, the Aga Khan.
More information on the plans and the EIA can be found in this Tribune article.
The Tribune also reports that they were able to view documents at the Ministry of the Environment that showed communication between the government department and Bahamas National Trust (BNT), managers of the 112-acre protected park and no-fishery reserve, about the proposed development.
However, when the newspaper requested copies of the documents, the file was taken away and made the subject of a meeting.
