Questions have been raised over Government's in-principle approval of a special development order (SDO) for Rosewood Tucker's Point resort.Katherine Michelmore of the Bermuda Democratic Alliance (BDA) asked why the move was necessary at all.“Many will argue that in this climate the Government should do all it can to invigorate the tourism market, but we may ask why the first phase of development is slated to be construction of 19 private residences for sale to non-Bermudians? How does this re-invigorate our tourism product? How does this fit with the previously expressed concerns of [National Security Minister David] Burch as to the percentage of land held by non-Bermudians?” asked Ms Michelmore, the BDA's Environment spokeswoman.Environment Minister Walter Roban tabled an SDO in the House of Assembly on Friday that would allow three stages of expansion at the hotel. It is due to be tabled later in the parliamentary session. If passed and given final approval from the Department of Planning, it will enable construction of 78 private residences and 70 additional hotel rooms.“There has been mention of 7.5 acres to be zoned as Woodland and Nature Reserve, which represents three percent of the 250-acre property. There has been no clarification as to how many acres of the property will be consumed with the new development.“Minister Roban has been swift to note that SDOs will now need parliamentary approval, allowing greater transparency and this should be welcomed as it is a small step towards greater scrutiny of SDOs. The public and environmental groups however will still be asking why this development requires an SDO which allows it to bypass normal planning regulations? The public may also rightly question why on February 2 Tucker's Point president Ed Trippe is quoted in The Royal Gazette as saying that ‘discussions were in very early stages' and yet two days later the SDO is tabled which details a massive expansion? This suggests that talks have been in progress for much longer than admitted, and perhaps were under consideration back in 2010 when early reports of an SDO were mentioned.”Ms Michelmore continued: “Premier Paula Cox has recently been quoted as saying that ‘it cannot be business as usual', and yet I fear that this SDO represents ‘business as usual' for the Department of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure. If we want true openness and transparency, these projects should be discussed with the public prior to the issuing of SDOs....that would be a Better Way.”