The vast majority of aggregate that will be used in the South Basin development will come from abroad, Wedco has confirmed.

When plans for the America’s Cup village and the South Basin initially went before the Development Applications Board it was thought that landfill material used in the development would come from the North and South Channels.

But Wedco expects most of the aggregate for the landfill to be imported from Canada.

Andrew Dias, Wedco’s general manager, told The Royal Gazette that he hoped the move, which was first announced last month, would be seen as a positive change within the environmental community and potentially improve the project timelines.

“While we are in the value engineering process we are keeping our options open to ensure that the project is completed within the established budget,” said Mr Dias.

“We envisage that the vast majority of aggregate will come from abroad, but we are open to taking the aggregate from the dredging of the North Channel by Royal Caribbean Cruises because it make sense for all stakeholders.

“At present our focus is on importing the required fill material provided it is financially viable, so at this juncture the plan has shifted from dredging the South Channel.”

Mr Dias’s comments come as the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST) announced that it would be taking its challenge against the South Basin proposals to the courts.

BEST maintain that environmental impact assessments conducted for the development are flawed and inadequate, and that the end uses for the site have been rushed through. The environmental group has also expressed concerns over the initial plans to dredge both the North and South channels.

However, the Bermuda Government has pledged that the plans for the South Basin in Dockyard will be “environmentally sound”.