Trust proposes expanding GT Wharf, limiting population: Cayman News Agency

(CNS) – The National Trust for the Cayman Islands (NTCI) has urged the government to consider limiting population growth rather than building a cargo port to accommodate the 250,000 people expected to live here by 2084. The group noted that such a number would completely overwhelm Caymanians, who even now make up less than half the population.

Consultants hired to draw up a business outline for the project insist the Cayman Islands government needs to start planning now to build a new cargo terminal at one of several proposed sites, while the government should expand the existing terminal and cargo distribution centre at the Port of George Town.

In a presentation to the public, they said this would allow the Cayman Islands to manage population growth over the next 15 years, which they estimated would reach 133,000 by then. The consultants said it would take about five years to upgrade GT Wharf, which would support the islands until 2039, when the new wharf is built. What happens to the old wharf after that is unclear.

However, in a report submitted to the consultants drafting the OBC, the trust recommended that instead of just upgrading the existing terminal to accommodate 133,000 people, the CIG should look into how to maximise its utility so that it can handle a population of 150,000 and take steps to limit the population to that figure.

“The current business case includes two options for the Port of Georgetown: ‘Do nothing’ and ‘Do the least.’ NTCI believes a ‘Do the most’ option should be included to improve the current site to enable it to support a more realistic population cap of 150,000,” NTCI said in a press release.

“George Town has been the site of the Cayman Islands’ port for hundreds of years because of its favorable natural conditions; its leeward position almost every year, deep water close to the coast, and its proximity to densely populated areas over such a long period of time as a port, combined with its current state of human transformation, make it an attractive location for future use as a port.”

The trust noted that at current birth rates, a population of 250,000 would include more than 150,000 non-Caymanians, which is “not only unsustainable but also undesirable, and the country’s infrastructure and Caymanians are not able to support this growth, and based on these projections, Caymanians will fall further behind.”

The nonprofit organization recommended that the OBC not just plan for a population of 250,000 but should include multiple population scenarios “in order to make more informed decisions as part of the future master plan for the Cayman Islands.”

“Recent population growth has put pressure on the natural environment, and economic growth has necessitated the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the Cayman Islands,” said Frank Roulstone, executive director of the National Trust. “Because Cayman’s population growth is driven by immigration rather than births, our government has the power to control the rate of population growth.”

The Trust also noted that it had concerns about the relocation of the cargo port to a new site, particularly the option of the Breakers Quarry, and highlighted environmental damage to land and marine life and surrounding ecosystems. It also expressed concerns about the additional burden on traffic and infrastructure in the eastern region and the viability of a port with north-south shipping lanes given the prevailing wind patterns throughout the year.

The Trust noted in its submission that building a wharf at Breakers Quarry would cut off the existing coastal road to Frank Sound and East End. “As one of the much-touted objectives of the East-West Trunk Road extension is to ensure there are two routes to East End, this would appear to remove additional security as it is explained that bridging the canal is not feasible. This is further evidence of the problem we face in Cayman where different agencies and departments plan projects without taking into account other planned projects under their remit.”

“We want the government to take a careful, data-driven approach to the port expansion and promote full transparency, including an environmental impact assessment before any construction begins,” said NTCI President Melanie Carmichael.

“We also firmly believe that the demographic scenarios considered for the port construction should be applied to all government projects, including development planning, waste management and transport, so that there are more links between these large capital projects that will have huge environmental, social and economic impacts on the three islands,” she added.

See NTCI’s full submission CNS Library.