THE type of development planned by Kevin Petty's The Hamptons Limited for such a prominent woodland conservation area as the slopes below Gibbs Hill Lighthouse is far too dense, asserted the Bermuda National Trust in its objections to the proposal.

In a letter to the Development Applications Board, the Trust's Environmental Conservation Officer Peter Drew said that the inappropriateness of that density was only one of the reasons why his organisation was adding its name to the list of objectors.

Objections lodged by several Southampton residents in surrounding neighbourhoods believe the developer should not be given the go-ahead for that very reason.

Mr. Petty received approval and building permits to erect seven units on five of the 12 acres of property in 1995 and in-principle approval to errect a further nine detached houses and 24 town houses. Last year, he resubmitted his application to move forward with those plans.

"The area of Bermuda under this development application for roads, drains, excavation, filling, hard surfacing, sewage disposal system, attached and detached dwelling units, will remove a prominent area of woodland biodiversity of which little remains throughout the island," Mr. Drew wrote. "The visual impact will be greatest from the historic landmark and highly visited national monument of the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. The high density under this application will remove the majority of the woodland area as zoned, effectively retaining only the residential purpose of the dual zoning. This development density, loss of woodland and impact on visual amenities from Gibbs Hill are contrary to the Bermuda Image as set out under the Bermuda Planning Statement."

Another ground for objection, he added, was that the application - as it now stands with the development for the seven detached units listed in three phases under two separate applications - is "misleading and inappropriate."

And Mr. Drew expressed concern that, if the development should go ahead, its woodland appearance should be retained as far as possible and that adequate sewage and wastewater disposal be a priority for any housing development.

Added Mr. Drew: "The Trust recommends that the Forward Planning Section of the Department of Planning carry out a full assesment to determine the impact of the loss of this significant area of woodland to large scale development, as well as its effect on the tourism amenity, surrounding area, and biodiversity."