The Development Applications Board has approved the proposed base of operations for Team Oracle in advance of the America’s Cup.

According to the planning application, submitted by ACBDA, the base will take up about 7.2 acres on the northern side of the South Basin dock.

Included on the site will be four new buildings to house boats and sails, two tents, seven containers, a 160-foot crane, an ancillary building to house fibre-optic infrastructure, and two floating docks. An existing structure on the property will meanwhile be adapted into shower and toilet facilities.

The application went before the DAB on Wednesday with a recommendation of approval. According to the minutes of the meeting, the board questioned a technical officer if the nearby cement facility, operated by Maxcem Bermuda Ltd, will remain in operation during the event.

When the officer confirmed that the facility will continue to run, the board expressed some concern about the impact of dust produced from the facility on boreholes included in the project.

While the technical officer told the board that the concern had not been brought up by the relevant government consultee, the minutes stated that issue was discussed with Maxcem representatives subsequent to the meeting.

Several measures to curb the dust issue were presented, including new infrastructure at the plant, having trucks loaded inside a building on the site instead of outside and installing a trench to catch escaping sediment.

The board voted to approve the application. However, that approval is set to expire at the end of 2017, meaning that the approved infrastructure must be removed before 2018 unless an extension is granted.