provision in the Development and Planning Act.

Tim Marshall, chairman of the National Trust's Environmental Committee, made the call during an address to Hamilton Lions yesterday.

"At present the appeal process is so arbitrary and in many cases, politically motivated, that it unnecessarily brings any Minister who occupies the position of Minister of the Environment into disrepute.'' Mr. Marshall claimed that too much of the Minister's time was spent on hearing planning appeals and by eliminating it, the Minister will have more time to focus on other environmental issues.

Mr. Marshall said an appeal process needed to be formed that was unbiased and removed from politics.

He also suggested creating a rule requiring any developer to serve notice directly to their neighbour about any proposed development.

"At present, the only form of notice that exists is the advertisement that appears in the newspaper,'' he explained. "The reality is that very few people read these notices, save for lawyers, environmental groups, developers and architects.

"All too often the average homeowner only learns of a neighbour's development by the arrival of a construction crew.'' And he said both the Government and Opposition were guilty of failing to take bold environmental initiatives.

"Government can no longer avoid taking a proactive stance on issues such as emission control, sewage and waste disposal and responsibility cannot rest solely on environmental groups to ensure these important issues are debated in the public forum,'' he pointed out. "I put forth a challenge to the Minister of the Environment and the Shadow Minister to create an agenda that preserves and enhances our natural environment and our quality of life.'' Mr. Marshall also struck out at the Island's abundance of moorings which he claimed were eroding the natural beauty of Bermuda's harbour.

"The moorings at the Foot of the Lane continues to creep out into the harbour, moorings dot the length of Harbour Road and now the eastern section of Ely's Harbour is `chock-a-block' full of moorings,'' he said. "We encourage the Minister to consider legislation and adopt policies that will have the effect of returning our coastal areas to a more natural and uninterrupted state.'' And Mr. Marshall, a boat owner himself, suggested examining the idea of whether marinas could provide a better solution.

He said Bermuda should look to places like Nantucket, Massachusetts, for creative ideas to protect the environment.

Mr. Marshall told Hamilton Lions that in 1984 the Nantucket Land Bank programme was established, which imposed a two percent transfer tax on the sale of real estate on the Island. The proceeds are used to acquire land for preservation.

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