An independent Planning inspector said he was concerned at the scale and massing of the Bank of Bermuda?s ?overwhelming? and ?inappropriate? proposed seven-storey bank on Front Street.

In hindsight of the Environment Minister agreeing with the inspector?s recommendation to dismiss the Bank?s appeal, the Permanent Secretary of the Environment Wayne Carey said yesterday it was important to have Listed Buildings in the City.

?The site for which the Bank of Bermuda appeal was made is situated in an historic district in the City of Hamilton,? Mr. Carey said yesterday.

?However none of the buildings at the development site are individually of such architectural or historical significance that has warranted them being designated as Listed Buildings.

?In the past, there has been interest by the Historic Buildings Advisory Committee (HBAC) as well as members of the community in the listing of various buildings in the City of Hamilton.

?As a former Chairman of HBAC, I recognise the importance of listing historic buildings within the City of Hamilton, similar to all the listings of significant homes and buildings situated around the Island. The new Chairman of HBAC also recognises the historic value of buildings in the City.?

Independent Planning inspector Brian G. Field looked into the Bank of Bermuda?s plan to build a mixed-use commercial development with pedestrian lane and gathering/communal space on Reid Street and No?s 39 and 43 Front Street.

?I can see little planning justification for allowing the additional storey,? Mr. Field said in his report. ?I am not persuaded that the end result is an appropriate solution for this location.?

He said any public benefit gained from the building was hardly sufficient to justify such a major departure from Planning policy.

The former Trimingham?s building was a prime site, he said, so its development clearly had to be addressed with sensitivity.

Concerns that seven-storeys were too tall for the area were wholly legitimate, he said.

?The revisions made to the initial scheme during the processing of the planning application have been largely cosmetic, failing to address any of the substantive issues raised previously, and the eventual design has done little to mitigate the perceived impact of such a significant structure which is in this locality, quite simply overwhelming,? Mr. Field said.

The inspector said the glazed balustrades planned for Front Street were ?out of keeping? with the area and only served to reinforce the impression that it was a ?large contemporary office block sitting on top of a collection of relatively small traditional structures?.

The Bank of Bermuda?s first application received 22 objections and was revised on December 19, 2005, and February 3, 2006.

The Development Applications Board (DAB) refused the Bank?s plan on March 22, 2006, because it said there was a maximum height of six-storeys for that area and the additional storey and setback infringements ?would have a negative impact on the quality of the built environment in this location?.

The Bank of Bermuda appealed the DAB decision to the Minister on April 11.

?The Corporation of Hamilton was consulted and objected to the initial application and the first revision in letters dated November 9 and January 4 respectively,? he said. ?The Corporation had no objection following the final revisions although all the other objectors maintained their objections.?

While Mr. Field agreed with the Bank that the City of Hamilton Plan 2001 should be interpreted with flexibility, he said this logic was at odds with the Bank?s claim to there already being a seven-storey ?precedent? in place in the form of the A.S. Cooper building on Front Street.

However, he said the A.S. Cooper building was in a very different location from Trimingham?s with a much more severe grade change between Front Street and Reid Street.

?I recommend that this appeal be dismissed,? he said.

Bank of Bermuda?s chief executive officer Philip Butterfield said in a release he remained committed to building on Front Street and would discuss alternatives with his architects.

However, a bank spokeswoman would not say whether it would proceed with an application for a Special Development Order that would bypass the DAB to go directly to the Minister for approval, or how much the bank had spent on the application to date.