Will the housing crisis have eased in ten years time? Is Bermuda going to demand more energy? Have the numbers of guest workers on the Island increased? These are just a few questions Government has yet to answer with a sustainable development plan according to Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons.

As the first stage in the sustainable development plan, Mr. Simons urged Government to commission a population study to predict the future need for housing ten years down the road.

Mr. Simons said a study should take into consideration Bermuda?s social and economic growth with information provided by the Ministry of Environment, the Planning Department, and the departments of labour and immigration. Highlighting promises in the 2003 Throne Speech that he said have yet to come to fruition, Mr. Simons said Premier Alex Scott has promised a sustainable development plan that ensures due consideration is given to providing affordable housing options while also giving due care to the environment.

?A year has passed and a National Plan is not yet tabled ? it?s not on the radar and it seems as if nothing is being done,? he said.

Mr. Simons said the report would help developers devise accurate plans for housing residents with the interest of balancing social needs and the natural environment. ?Nothing exists presently,? said Mr. Simons. ?We must commission a population growth study to accurately predict our demand for housing and to provide a tangible prediction for the future.?

?We need to have a positive plan for the future rather than building with what?s available and then saying there?s not enough or I built too many,? he said.

He also called on Government to devise a National Energy Plan that looks at alternative energy and electricity sources rather than relying on Bermuda?s one supplier ? Belco ? to meet all of Bermuda?s energy demands.

Mr. Simons used Belco ? Bermuda?s only supplier of electricity as an example of how Bermuda must also devise a National Energy Plan.

?With warnings about blackouts during the summer months and heavy and increased use of air conditioning units, Mr. Simons said expecting one facility to supply all of Bermuda?s energy needs for the next ten to 20 years showed Government needed to put in place a plan with alternatives.

?Canada has hydraulic supplies while countries in Europe are using wind power but we in Bermuda have yet to address our long term energy needs that examines how we will continue to provide energy for the next ten to fifteen years without pushing the one supplier that exists to the crisis point,? said Mr. Simons.

Belco is investigating the use of wind power and also has a subsidiary, Belco Energy Service Company Ltd. (Besco) that advises businesses and individuals on energy conservation.

Mr. Simons suggested Government partner with the main supplier of energy to begin drafting a sustainable, environmentally friendly energy plan.