International businesses must build taller buildings in Hamilton to prevent urban sprawl, the Bank of Bermuda said yesterday as it submitted revised plans for a seven-storey bank at the former Trimingham?s building.

On October 19, the Bank of Bermuda/HSBC sought final Planning approval to convert numbers 39, 41 and 43 Front Street into a seven-storey mixed use commercial development with a new pedestrian lane and communal space on Reid Street.

?The project plans have been refined and revised so that the proposed design is more traditional, particularly the Front Street elevation,? the Bank said. ?Although it is easy to understand why people do not want to change, this is not a sustainable approach to dealing with the reality that Bermuda is a premier international business and commerce jurisdiction.

?If development is not concentrated in the city ? development will sprawl and this is not sustainable,? it said.

The Bank is still seven storeys tall ? ?in exchange for areas lost to provide better pedestrian experience in the city?, it said ? namely a 6,627 square foot pedestrian walkway and the retention of the 3,148 square-foot Trimingham?s building.

The Anglican Cathedral will continue to dominate the skyline, it said and design changes included ? solid masonry, window shutters, traditional balcony railings and a new sloped roof.

An additional 230 square feet of specialty retail has been added on Reid Street as suggested by the Chamber of Commerce on October 11, it said.

It said the 23 objections it received represented approximately 0.03 percent of the population and only one Hamilton retailer objected.

No objections were received from any Front Street landowners, which the Bank took to mean they had no objection to a daily draw of 1,500 people to the area.

?The design changes are intended to bring the first four storeys of the building more in line with traditional architecture and therefore better compliment the Front Street sequence and make a better transition of the building to the upper storeys,? it said.

The City of Hamilton Plan allowed for six to seven-storey buildings and even encouraged higher density and energy-efficient buildings in the city, it said.

It did not seek fast-track Planning approval as there was no such thing, it said, and a 30-degree setback line made all buildings look like wedding cakes.

And the Historical Buildings Advisory Committee (HBAC) and the Bermuda National Trust (BNT) and other stakeholders had the experience and professionalism to participate in a consultative process without fettering their discretion, it said.

?The typical process in Bermuda to design in isolation of any other views other than the applicants is not pro-active compared to most jurisdictions who engage in key stakeholders early in the process,? it said.

?The benefits of pre-consulting are universally understood but in this case have been viewed with suspicion simply because it is not the same way things have been done in Bermuda in the past. The applicants? desire to develop the site in an inclusive and democratic way led to the design charrette.?

However, the Corporation of Hamilton?s objection went against its own joint-authorship of the City of Hamilton 2001 Plan, it said. It said the Corporation?s claim that adequate banking already exists in the area could not be substantiated.

And it was ?undemocratic? to deny the Bank the chance to open up shop on Front Street and Reid Street because both Capital G and the Bank of Butterfield were located in the area.

It understood the importance of tourism to Front Street, it said, which largely why it agreed to keep half of the old Trimingham?s building ? although it was not required to because none of the buildings on Front Street were listed.

?We are hopeful that the plan changes, perspectives and planning merits articulated in this submission meets the goals and objectives of the City of Hamilton Plan 2001,? architect Julia Van Beelen said.