A plan guiding development for the entire Island over the next ten years is being determined by the Planning Department.

And Morgan?s Point, Southside and Dockyard have been deemed crucial to protecting what little open space Bermuda has left.

The Bermuda Plan 1992 Planning Statement was an Island-wide development plan used to determine planning policies and zonings over the past decade.

Now the plan is being reviewed and updated to carry Bermuda safely through the next ten years.

?Development depends largely on the investment decisions of individuals and organisations, and not planning policy,? Forward Planning assistant director John Lawson wrote in the February issue of ?Envirotalk? ? the Environment Ministry?s monthly newsletter.

?But we can influence the amount of development that takes place, its form and location. The key issues facing Government policy-makers are determining how much growth is likely to take place over the next ten years and how and where it will be accommodated.?

The Forward Planning Team at the Department of Planning has already begun the task of creating the Development Plan Review (DPR), a review which will help create policies and proposals to guide future Island-wide development. The part of Bermuda to escape review is the City of Hamilton, which is governed by its own plan.

Housing is an ever-increasing concern for the booming population on the Island. That demand, combined with the decreasing supply of ?greenfield? sites and a desire for sustainable development, led Mr. Lawson to write: ?It is, perhaps, desirable to direct new large-scale development activity towards more accessible locations on previously developed sites.

?With this in mind, the regeneration of the former military bases at Southside and Morgan?s Point will be crucial to the success of the DPR strategy.?

Paying attention to traffic will also be crucial, he said. ?Better use can be made of opportunities at existing centres, which serve as transport nodes, by increasing the mix and overall density of development.?

Guiding new development away from exposed coastal areas vulnerable to erosion will be part of the effort to protect valuable open space.

?What emerges is the need for a careful balancing, taking account of economic, environmental and social considerations.

?Striking the right balance by optimising development potential whilst protecting important environmental assets is key to achieving a sustainable future for Bermuda.?

Reviewing the Development Plan will take about three years, the next 12 months of which will consist of cross-departmental working and discussions with stakeholders.

Everyone will have the opportunity to give input, Mr. Lawson said.

?This summer, views will be sought on a published Strategy and Options consultation draft plan ? The results of the consultation exercise will be taken into account in the development of new draft plan policies.

?A Report of Survey will be published in early 2005. Objections to the draft plan will be considered at a public tribunal before the final DPR is produced in 2006.?