Planning officers have recommended that a proposal to build a nine-storey building on Front Street be rejected.

Developers hope to tear down the existing 91 Front Street structure to create the new global headquarters for Brookfield Reinsurance and the company’s Bermudian-domiciled listed affiliates, Brookfield Property Partners, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Renewable Partners and Brookfield Business Partners.

A report by technical officers for the Development Applications Board found that the proposal conflicted with the City of Hamilton Plan and that the hight was “excessive”.

“Higher buildings within the City of Hamilton are not necessarily inappropriate, notwithstanding current height restrictions as set out above,” the report said.

“However, the department considers the height of the proposed building to be excessive and that it would more readily assimilate into the existing scale, proportion and character of the area by the removal of at least one storey.”

The report suggested that such a reduction in height could be achieved by removing an office level or moving components to a basement level.

“Even with the removal of one storey, the proposal would still visually dominate the skyline, particularly relative to the existing buildings to the immediate west and east on Front Street,” the report said.

“However, the redevelopment of this site may be the catalyst for improvements to other older vacant buildings on this stretch of Front Street, which is clearly needed given current vacancy rates.

“Further, a reduction in height would allow the building to more readily relate to the natural topography of the area and the existing building heights on Reid and Church Street.”

The report writer said the plans did show respect for the historical evolution of the area and offered improvements to Chancery Lane and the creation of a new crosswalk but the proposal could not be recommended in the circumstances.

Download PDF File

P0261-23 DAB Report.pdf

Plans for the proposed Brookfield Place Bermuda were announced in March, with retail space on the ground floor and along Chancery Lane and office space above.

Brian Kingston, chief executive of Brookfield's Real Estate business, said at the time: “This development is a reflection of our commitment to Bermuda, one of the most sophisticated financial and business markets globally, with access to top talent. We see numerous opportunities for growth in the coming years.”

The proposal sparked a number of objections as neighbours raised concerns about how they would be affected by the construction and others complained about the scale of the building.

While objectors said the building’s height would dominate the City’s skyline, the technical officer said the proposed structure would not be taller than the Anglican Cathedral.

“The Environmental Impact Study demonstrated that the structure will be visible from various vantage points, with the most prominent being the Cenotaph and the corner of Parliament and Reid Streets,” the report writer said. “The Architectural Advisory Panel’s main concern was with this latter vantage point.

“While some windows are incorporated on the building’s extremities and articulation is proposed on the eastern façade, the panel encouraged that a better design solution be developed for this façade, particularly since it will dominate that viewpoint for the foreseeable future.

“The department concurs with the panel’s concern over the eastern façade and that more visual interest should be incorporated.”

• To view the DAB report, see Related Media