The Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce has applied to become a company.

The group's directors have applied under The Companies Act 1981 "to incorporate a local company limited by guarantee to be called 'Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce'.

Lawyers Conyers Dill and Pearman, acting for Stuart Hayward, Corey Powell, Robert Steinhoff and Charles Gosling, state BEST will "operate exclusively as a non-profit organisation".

BEST will also aim "to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Bermuda for present and future generations by promoting the sustainable management and development of the physical, social and economic environment".

The legal notice — in the Official Gazette, states "all of the assets, income and profits of the Company shall be applied solely for these objects".

BEST was born from a group of community campaigners protesting Government plans to build a hospital on the Botanical Gardens, in 2006.

Save The Gardens then evolved into Save South Shore after plans were announced to build a hotel on the Southlands estate and coastline.

Stuart Hayward, BEST chairman, said yesterday: "The group felt that we should stay together as there would be other things which would need that kind of campaign.

"We changed the name to Save South Shore and then decided it wasn't just about saving areas but about directly promoting the concept of environmental, economic and social sustainability."

BEST now has more than 350 members. As the grassroots organisation moves to a more formalised company structure, the 15 representatives of its steering committee will take up official positions such as managers.

Mr. Hayward said it was when BEST was mooting a judicial review of Southlands that members started exploring the idea of becoming a limited liability company.

"If we had lost we could have been saddled with costs, which would have been a considerable liability," said Mr. Hayward. "The legal question was who is going to be responsible or liable if a large debt is incurred.

"A company limited by guarantee limits the liability of the people behind it. An amount is established for which you're going to be liable for."

He said: "In the past we've been an ad hoc grassroots organisation, and while we've had a presence in the community, we haven't had a formal registered presence. People involved in BEST thought the work we were doing was worth establishing some permanence.

"Being a limited liability company also enables us to have a bank account and lease office premises. It's the nuts and bolts of the organisation."

Mr. Hayward said BEST is currently launching an 'information series' for the public on energy, waste generation and disposal, and recycling.

"We are also keeping our eyes on Southlands and Morgan's Point, and any developments which would seem to contravene the Bermuda Development Plan," he said.

The group is also examining the 2008 Draft Bermuda Plan and will shortly provide feedback to Government.