The developers of a home in Shark Hole bypassed conditions that had been set out to reduce environmental impact and instead opted to clear the site by mass excavation.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the developers contravened various sections of the Conservation Management Plan and approved Landscape Plan, which required the protection of the endemic Bermuda snowberry, roots of smaller trees being removed using hand tools and avoiding the appearance of a clean-cut site.

A ministry spokesman said: “In contrast, the site appeared to be cleared by mass excavation."

A stop order was placed on the works in July and lifted last month. The Department of Planning and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources worked with the applicant to remediate any damage and put additional conditions in place to ensure requirements were met and followed.

Plans to develop the Shark Hole property, on Harrington Sound, were submitted by Bernard Yancovich and Gillian Pinchin and approved last year by the Development Applications Board.

Georgia Benevides, of Benevides Associates and Architects, said: “All excavation was carried out per excavation plan. When work was stopped, the main concern were caves, snowberries, rubble falling into Harrington Sound and large equipment veering from the building site.

“The existing snowberry is still alive and in the same location. The owners have also agreed to plants 60 one-gallon snowberries when complete. We have made contact with someone who grows snowberries and have placed an order for these.

“Regarding rubble, we had a fence in place and have beefed it up with a denser mesh to hold any rubble from hitting Harrington Sound.

“Regarding using hand tools and heavy equipment, the site is extremely hard rock and where the house is going has to be excavated with equipment. Anything away from the footprint of the house, which we are avoiding, is being handled with hand equipment.“

Ms Benevides added that no caves had yet been discovered at the site. However, she has signed an affidavit agreeing that if a cave is discovered going forward, work must stop immediately and the cave be reported within 30 minutes.

The initial planning approval listed 13 conditions that addressed the site’s environmentally sensitive nature.

Subsequently, the issued building permit contained seven additional conditions reiterating all the planning conditions to be adhered to during construction.

On October 19, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on the Government’s website: “The ministry can confirm that both departments are satisfied that the agent has complied with the proposed conditions and the stop work notice has been lifted.”