Giving permission for Tucker’s Point to extend its five-star resort is not a “slap in the face” to the original residents of the land or their descendants, Government insisted yesterday.It released a statement in response to the claim made last week by campaign group Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) that granting a special development order was an insult to Bermudians evicted from the area in the 1920s.CURB president Lynne Winfield said on Thursday that giving approval for an additional 78 private residences and 70 hotel rooms at the 240-acre resort was seen by many as a desecration of the land.But the Ministry of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy said yesterday CURB had not made clear why that was the case.“The Government would like to stress that it is very mindful of Bermuda’s history and the legacies that continue to this day,” said the statement.“Its efforts to create a new social balance that brings equity to all Bermudians are the foundations of its numerous programmes and policies.”The statement said the Island’s sustainability needed a “balanced appreciation and attention to not only our environmental history and future, but also our economic and social history and future”.Citing the need to enhance Bermuda’s tourism product, the Ministry said the SDO had been given in-principle approval with “our environmental, economic and social needs in mind”.The order was tabled in the House of Assembly by Environment Minister Walter Roban earlier this month and MPs will debate it before it is given final approval.It is opposed by Tucker’s Town Historical Society, as well as conservation groups including Bermuda National Trust (BNT) and Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce.BNT said it would affect a large swathe of pristine land and “habitats of major significance” would be lost.Yesterday’s Ministry statement urged “all interested persons to read the order, available from the Clerk to the Legislature, in order to participate from an informed position”.It added: “Upon reading the order, persons will recognise that the Government has taken into consideration the particular environmental sensitivities of the area proposed for development.”It said the ten-year order required Tucker’s Point to meet certain conditions, including:l Recording and protecting any identified critical habitats or existing mature specimen endemic, native or ornamental plants;l A conservation management plan for the majority of areas within the development;l A subterranean topographical survey of any existing or newly discovered cave features; andl No excavations exceeding four feet in case of an impact on cave systems.Tucker’s Point Hotel president Ed Trippe has said the SDO is critical to the financial viability of the property.l Useful websites: www.curb.bm, www.gov.bm and www.tuckerspoint.com