Planning officials are investigating suspected illegal foreshore reclamation work at a property in St. George's.

The work at 11 Wellington Slip Road has resulted in the decimation of a row of buttonwood trees along the waterfront.

Work had stopped and an excavator and 'Bobcat'-style machine sat empty on the one-acre property when The Royal Gazette visited the site earlier this week. There was no building or work permit number in sight.

As can be seen from the supplied photographs, extensive foreshore reclamation work is visible from the water, plus piles of rubble and cinder blocks.

On June 16, St. George's resident Michael Spurling submitted a complaint to the Department of Planning about the property claiming that there was no evidence that planning permission had been granted.

He lists his concerns on the form a copy of which was supplied to this newspaper as suspected illegal foreshore reclamation and redevelopment, destruction of foreshore buttonwood trees, pollution of bay and environmental damage.

Another St. George's resident has contacted this newspaper to question the legality of the work.

He said he believed the property belonged to a disabled man who died ten years ago. It was inherited by his daughter and she passed away a couple of years later.

The man, who would not be named, said: "It is understood she didn't have a will. Since then the house has become derelict but it's an acre of property on the water and so could be worth something."

There is a recently lived-in cottage adjacent to the main house.

The man said: "As far as we can tell there is no planning permission or a building permit, but the work they've done in the past month is major.

"The buttonwoods grew right along the water and were a buffer against waves, debris and flooding, but these people have cut them all down.

"They ripped out all the trees and dug out all the foreshore. Then they dumped soil and sand there, before digging it all back up because they knew it would all wash out.

"They've also put cinder blocks there from the incinerator." He added: "Whoever it is, they've done some serious damage along the waterfront. It's an eyesore."

A Government spokesman said on Wednesday: "The matter is under investigation by the Department of Planning."