Chief Min: Palm Grove road - a difficult but necessary step

The Palm Grove road project was discussed at the sitting of the Legislative Council on 14 December when Chief Minister, Dr. the Hon. D. Orlando Smith made a statement and answered questions on the matter. In the end, Hon. Smith maintained that the park and the road could coexist. In fact, the Chief Minister announced that a park would be developed to preserve the cultural significance of Wickham’s Cay: "We are developing a park to preserve the area and to keep in memory those who have contributed to the development of the Territory."

In response to concerns raised by the public, Dr Smith mentioned that Government would try to prevent the area from becoming a car park by erecting a stonewall to protect the green grass from harm.  The Chief Minister told the Council that Government plans to put a palm replacement program along with other landscaping techniques in place to ensure the most aesthetically pleasing outcome.

Hon. Smith said that he welcomes the public's input on this project and  other important decisions. At the end of the day, it is the duty of elected leaders to hear the voice of the people and then to make a choice in a manner consistent with a sense of the right. With that said, the BVI Leader opined that "development is hard business."

Hon. Smith also pointed out that "every road that gets paved upturns beautiful green earth, every piece of land that is reclaimed buries a small part of our pristine sea. Every home, office, hospital and school that is built causes some disruption to our natural environment."

"We cannot afford to allow our desire to preserve our land and seas to paralyze us and make progress impossible; at the same time we cannot become insensitive to the need to be responsible to future generations. Striking the right balance is at the very heart of what this Government seeks to accomplish. The Palm Grove road is a prime example of this effort. This piece of roadway must be created. It cannot be otherwise. We cannot in good conscience allow traffic to build and build, while pedestrians and motorists alike are put in harm's way," the Chief Minister stated.

On a more personal note Hon. Smith mentioned that he would not be highly thought of by a mother whose child was injured or killed while walking an unsafe stretch of  road that has no sidewalks or clear pedestrian cross-walks because Government refused to act -- "I just couldn't do it," Dr. Smith said.

The Chief Minister announced that Government would create a roadway and make it safe and convenient for the people of the BVI. "However, the commitment need not come at the expense of proper sensitivity to the cultural significance of this piece of land," Hon. Smith said

The Representative of the First District, Hon. Andrew Fahie asked whether the plans for the bypass road that was expected to pass through the historic site had been approved by the Land Development Control Authority, and whether Town and Country Planning Department agreed with the construction, or did they offer other solutions.

 The BVI Leader informed the Representative for the First District that the plans for the proposed road were delivered to the Town and Country Department on 16 November, and a more formal application was filed with that Department on 24 November 2005.