An objector to a revised plan for a seven-storey Bank said it was ?absolutely outrageous? and ?ridiculous? that Planning only told him he could object one day before the objection period closed.

The objector ? who did not wish to be named ? received a letter from the Department of Planning on December 30, 2005 concerning his objection to a proposed mixed use commercial development on No?s 39, 41 and 43 Front Street by the Bank of Bermuda/HSBC.

He collected the letter ? dated December 21 ? on Friday, however, due to the public holiday, a response was not sent until yesterday, he said.

The final day for the original 23 objectors to enter any objections to the revised plans by the end of business today.

?We do feel that this situation is absolutely outrageous,? he said. ?Certainly the Government offices must be aware of this ridiculous time frame.?

He told Planning that his objection remained ? even though he had not been able to see the revised plans.

And City Engineer of the Corporation of Hamilton David Graham, who objected to the first Bank of Bermuda plan, said yesterday he also had not seen the revised plans, however, would do so today.

He would not comment on the revised plan until he had seen it.

The Bank?s revised plan, which still had to be decided by the Development Applications Board (DAB), was seven stories tall.

The height of the building to the penthouse roof was 115.7 feet, however, this height still had to account for a perforated aluminium roof canopy, or louvre system, above this line.

Additional height for the roof canopy was not supplied.

Seven people objected to the proposed Bank because of its height.

?The building will finish at elevation 115 to 117 feet O.D. (above sea level), well below the Development Plan maximum of 138 O.D,? it said. ?The additional storey will be seen from the harbour or from Harbour Road only, a distance from which the additional storey is barely perceptible.?

It also said the Bank will be very similar to the Cooper?s building currently under construction between Front and Reid Streets.

The City of Hamilton Plan 2001 stated that all storey heights above the first floor must not exceed 12 feet.

However, six of the storey?s on the revised plan are above 12 feet with two measuring up to 14 feet tall each, according to the Bank?s plan.

Bermuda?s Building Code said the minimum floor to floor height of residential buildings was seven feet, six inches.

In addition, in its response to the 23 objections it received at first, it conceded the gross floor area of the building was 2,115 square feet larger (2.08 percent) larger than the maximum building area permitted in the 2001 Hamilton Plan.

?Seven objections were received based solely on it not complying with the Plan,? it responded. ?This assumes that the only appropriate way to design for the site is as prescribed in the Development Plan and this is not true. It was important to retain the former Trimingham?s building, even though this is not required.?