An environmental watchdog has urged developers of the new St Regis hotel in St George’s to give more consideration to how construction materials could be brought on to site.

The Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce says it has been very impressed by the Environmental Impact Survey conducted in preparation for the development.

But Stuart Hayward, BEST’s chairman, urged those behind the project to explore the possibility of bringing materials on to site by sea and via the dock near Fort St Catherine to avoid any structural damage to roadways or historic properties in the Olde Towne.

“Looking back we know that the removal of demolition material from the old Holiday Inn site caused problems for the roads and buildings around the site,” Mr Hayward said. “There were issues with the size of the vehicles and trucks used and their speed and in some cases there was some structural damage.

“That has the potential to be repeated with the new construction and it is important we consider who would be accountable for remedying that should it occur.”

Mr Hayward added: “There are alternatives and more practical possible solutions to having these huge vehicles driving through the town.

“There is a dock or small port close to Fort St Catherine that could be brought up to standard in a similar way as has been done at Morgan’s Point to make delivery of equipment and materials possible by sea.

“That could also remove the need to put extra stress on the swing bridge too.”

Plans for the proposed St Regis Hotel in St George’s were submitted to the Department of Planning on August 1.

The plans detail the 122-key hotel that will overlook Gates Bay, along with proposed amenities including a casino, restaurant, back-of-house facilities and several residential condominium buildings. The main hotel building would stand to the southwest of where Barry Road currently lies. However, the road itself would be moved further to the southwest so the hotel would stand between the beach and the road.

Mr Hayward said: “The St Regis Hotel EIS is 800 pages long and there were two sections that really impressed me; the historical value of that segment of the island, which is now on public record, then there was a section about the social environment, parts of which are excellent.

“We have felt that in the St Regis development the developer has been open to our input and listened when we asked for more time to consider the contents of the EIS.

“They have made us feel part of the process and we hope that is a sign of the times in relation to these large hotel projects.”