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(CNS): There was great consternation within the community last week after people saw boulders dropped into the ocean at the Royal Palms site, as well as the appearance of screens and heavy equipment on the beach. But although Dart, which owns the site, had failed to make any public announcement of the intended clean-up operation to remove a damaged sea wall, giving rise to significant concern about the goings on, the work was, in fact, done after consultation with the Department of Environment.
According to experts working with the DoE, the situation presents an opportunity for a managed retreat, and Dart has been advised to tear down the old Royal Palms bar and let the beach recover.
The site, which has been left derelict for over two years, was impacted by rough seas when Tropical Storm Ian passed by in September this year. Although the storm passed over 100 miles from Grand Cayman, the sea wall that supported the once-famous bar area crumbled into the ocean. While most of Cayman was spared any damage, vulnerable coastal developments like the Royal Palms site were notable exceptions, according to the Department of Environment.
A DoE spokesperson said the fact that the damage was incurred under relatively mild storm conditions “highlights how inappropriately sited development can result in high public and private cost from chronic beach erosion, damage to structures, and risk to the public”.
The DoE explained that Dart executives had reached out to them looking for professional coastal engineering guidance regarding seawall repairs at the site. Advice from Olsen Associates, which works with the DoE, concluded that the situation provided an opportunity for a managed retreat.
“The Royal Palms site presents an excellent opportunity — probably the most ideal contemporary example along south SMB — to restore reliable sand beach at a developed property through a landward relocation of a seawall/hardscape. The site presents ample upland space to slightly retreat from the sea,” the experts stated in their report.
The DoE has also been advocating for a managed retreat for some time, given the significant beach erosion along the southern end of Grand Cayman’s famous beach, and they agreed that Dart should remove the Royal Palms beach bar to this end. “However, our current understanding is that Dart has not yet committed to doing so,” they noted.
In the meantime, given the safety hazard presented by the badly damaged seawall, the DoE had agreed that Dart could remove it to prevent further damage to the marine environment. After some discussion about how to do that, the DoE did not agree to boulders being used to reinforce the damaged wall but did agree that boulders could be used temporarily to support the heavy equipment as it accessed the debris.
“This would be less intrusive than other options, such as the placement of crusher run, shot rock, or driving directly on the beach or sea bed,” the DoE stated, noting that Dart had agreed that all boulders and debris would be removed by the end of the works, which is expected around the end of this week. “Although silt screens do assist in the containment of turbidity, they do not work perfectly and therefore only partially mitigate the effect of this type of construction. The DoE has been monitoring the works to ensure that the methodology is adhered to and our conditions are complied with.”
Although this work will address the immediate safety hazard, a long-term solution of managed retreat at this site is needed, the DoE stressed.
CNS has reached out to the Dart communications team about their plans for Royal Palms, once one of Cayman’s most popular spots, but no one has responded to our request. Though the site has been neglected since it closed due to the pandemic in 2020, Dart has hinted on previous occasions that it is earmarked for a new resort. It also appears that this resort could link to the tall tower that senior management has persistently agitated for, despite the current height restrictions. If allowed to build high, it has long been understood that the favoured location is on the overpass on the West Bay Road.
Given the current mood in relation to development and Cayman’s exploding population, the proposal for significantly increasing the height of buildings is not popular. Even though allowing developers to go up might encourage the necessary managed retreat and redevelopment in the Seven Mile Beach area, local activists are concerned about the wider implications on society of the continued runaway development of the islands, which most Caymanians are not benefiting from.
While developers and others, including McKeeva Bush MP (WBW), who is bringing a motion to parliament next month requesting that height restrictions be lifted to allow as much as 30 storeys, some members of the community have significant concerns about what over-development means for their future.
See the full DoE statement and download the Olsen Associates Royal Palms Report here
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