Environmentalists are concerned that the special development order proposed for Tucker’s Point will be debated in Friday’s House of Assembly.An anonymous ad has been placed in today’s newspaper calling on Bermudians to oppose the SDO.The advertisers told The Royal Gazette they wanted to get the message out quickly in case the SDO is discussed in Parliament.“The ad is there because of a suspicion that the debate will be held this Friday rather than two weeks after the SDO was tabled in the house,” a spokesperson said.“We think that if laws are in place to govern development, then there ought to be compelling reasons to set them aside. Nobody has made that case yet. I’m not against development or against Government. If a case can be made that this SDO is really vital then so be it. So far I haven’t heard it.”Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST) chairman Stuart Hayward said: “I don’t know if the SDO will be debated this Friday but within the environmental community there has been some concern that it might be. We are not privy to what will be debated and when.”The SDO for the resort to add residences and hotel rooms was originally tabled in last Friday’s House.Bermuda Democratic Alliance (BDA) environment spokeswoman Katherine Michelmore said she was concerned that “a massive development is planned”.“As spokesperson for the environment for the BDA I am concerned that open discussion regarding this development has been avoided.“Talks have clearly been in progress for some time and the public has not had the opportunity to openly contribute. I am concerned that we are facing another SDO which bypasses the regular safeguards and scrutiny of normal Planning processes.”Ms Michelmore said Environment Minister Walter Roban had been “swift to note” that SDOs would now require Parliamentary approval.She said: “The public and environmental groups, however, will still be asking why this development requires an SDO which allows it to bypass normal Planning regulations. The public may also rightly question why on February 2, Tucker’s Point President Ed Trippe is quoted in The Royal Gazette as saying that ‘discussions were in very early stages’, and yet two days later the SDO is tabled which details a massive expansion.”She said it suggested that talks had been in progress for longer than admitted.“Many will argue that in this climate the Government should do all it can to invigorate the tourism market, but we may ask why the first phase of development is slated to be construction of 19 private residences for sale to non-Bermudians? How does this re-invigorate our tourism product? How does this fit with the previously expressed concerns of National Security Minister David Burch as to the percentage of land held by non-Bermudians?”Mr Roban was not available last night to comment on whether or not the SDO will be debated in Friday’s House of Assembly.Useful websites: www.best.org.bm, www.tuckerspoint.com