A sub lease agreement for the 9 Beaches resort was approved in the Senate yesterday morning.The lease agreement between the Bermuda Land Development Company Ltd and IRC-Sandys Limited, will pave the way for an $80 million redevelopment of the resort. The lease had previously been approved by the House of Assembly, but a vote on the lease in the Senate was delayed twice last year, and for a third time last week.Senator Cromwell Shakir said he felt like he was going through a “baptism of fire” over the lease but the delays demonstrated that the Senate was being careful and looking out for the public’s best interest. “We are here doing the people’s business,” he said. “We have been handed a responsibility, and it is our job to make sure that we catch all those things that may not have been caught before.”Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes agreed that the delays were important, saying the lease was “a dog’s breakfast” when it appeared before the Senate in December. “The more you read, the more confused you got,” he said.Mr Hughes said he was happy to see the lease included a stipulation that hotel properties on the site have to be built before residences. However he expressed concern that developers are using tourism as an excuse to build residences.Independent Senator Joan Dillas-Wright asked if the developer planned on making staff residences available to locals who work at the resort, but did not receive a response.Opposition Senate leader Jeanne Atherden suggested the creation of a committee to help speed the approval process by asking questions before leases appear in the House of Assembly and Senate.“If we had some sort of bipartisan committee to look at this type of development, the lease and the sub lease, when it goes forward in the House and Senate we know these sorts of questions are being addressed.”Opposition Senator Suzanne Holshouser said that while she understood the importance of the development, she expressed concerns that Bermuda could hurt tourism by building on too many of its green spaces. “A lot of our tourists have come to see a world they don’t normally get to see, and that includes out waters and our greenery,” she said. “When we build more concrete on our greenery, it takes away from that.”Government Senator LaVerne Furbert said she was disappointed to see tourism projects being the subject of constant criticism.“Every time Government does something to improve and protect the industry, there is constant opposition. If you don’t have anywhere for them to stay, then why would tourists come here? In order to increase the numbers, we need to increase the number of beds.”Useful websites: www.plp.bm, www.ubp.bm, www.9beaches.com, www.gov.bm.