The Department of Environment (DoE) would like to bring awareness and clarifications for the Peace Love and Happiness Development (PLH) Development in Barbuda which encompasses 650 acres of the Coordination Lagoon National Park (CLNP).
On 23 October 2017, the DoE received a Development Control Authority (DCA) master plan and application from PLH. The plan was sent to the DOE for review and a Terms of Reference was issued for an Environmental Impact Assessment. The Master plan included several elements:
- A marina within the Codrington Lagoon;
- 81 beach front lots at Low Bay
- High end cottages and homes (Jumby Bay Model);
- Golf course with about 400 homes;
The project is being done in Phases and so the EIA focused on the overall development based on the following information provide by the DOE:
- The Marina was in a protected area and was not recommended for approval;
- 81 beach front lots were originally cited in an area that was identified as a no protection area as per the Parliamentary Land Use Plan of Antigua and Barbuda and was not recommended for consideration and/or approval;
- The golf course was being proposed for the area of Barbuda where there has been extensive sand mining. This area was severely degraded of original vegetation, wildlife and even sand dune protection. This area was recommended for full approval;
- The housing lots are also expected to get approval after further review, but a submission to DCA has to be made for each house plot as per the normal practice;
The EIA was conducted and submitted to the DoE in January 2018. It presented an analysis of key risk factors that would affect the development and identified areas where further studies were required to refine mitigation measures that could be used to reduce risks to acceptable levels. The DoE and the Fisheries Divisions both agreed with the measures outlined in the EIA and also submitted additional recommendations. The DoE therefore recommended Conditional Approval only for the Palmetto mainland aspects of the project and excluded development on the Sand Bar on the southern end of the Lagoon northwards.
- Phase 1 of a Golf Course, Grading, Wells and Irrigation Pond.
- Phase 2 which has not yet been submitted will include an additional 11 golf holes and 400 residential units ranging in size from 2,000 – 12,000 sq. ft.
The development approved so far is basically a luxurious housing project. Housing projects under the Physical Planning Act (2003) do not require an EIA since they are considered low risk and where there are risks these are well know and do not have to be further documented in a formal EIA report. The Government however taking into consideration of the concerns of the People of Barbuda requested that an EIA process be followed.
The density of the housing project is approximately 1 building/acre which is less than that of Codrington Village and it is not expected to have any more environment impacts as a regular housing development. The potential environmental impacts of the golf course are generally well known, and technology and design systems are well known and used to address these impacts. It was therefore viewed that the Developer did not need to conduct additional studies.
The DoE notes that replacing the sand is the only opportunity to fix the results of years of sand mining and this is the reason for replacing some of the sand.
Full approval was recommended for Phrase 1 of the project and an Environmental Management Plan is to be submitted to the DoE no later than 2 years upon completion of the project. Note the marina and Low Bay development is not in Phase one and note recommended at all.
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