A FORMER Acting Chief Town Planner is shocked at the implication that public vehicular access would be blocked to the popular Batts Rock beach by condominium developers.

Richard Gill, a veteran planner, said yesterday that he was actually involved in the project as a consultant, and the investors' proposal was to build a new public road to the beach with a pavement on one side for pedestrians, as well as a footpath on the seaward side of the existing public road.

"It is first and foremost the construction of a new road, secondly the construction of a walkway along the coastline, and when the two of those are in place, the removal of the section of public road that's across the site. So the public would at no time be prevented, even during construction, from walking along the coast
from the Prospect area to the beach," he explained
in a clear-the-air statement on Starcom Network's Down To Brass Tacks.

Reacting to yesterday's DAILY NATION back page story, Gill said the new vehicular road would replace the one now used by motorists going into Batts Rock, and would form a junction onto Highway 1 opposite
the Lazaretto Gap.

"That junction would be a safer one, and the road would be at a right angle to Highway 1," he told
THE NATION. "If you are driving from the north, you would pass what is the existing access, drive around the bend, and turn right to drive down to the beach,
or if you're coming from the opposite direction, after passing the Lazaretto Gap, you would turn left and drive to the beach."

The town planner said the existing road used by drivers would be taken in as part of the construction and replaced by a landscaped footpath along the cliff front and beach sections.

He added that the investors, British-Swedish couple Mr and Mrs Lee Simon, had agreed to make sure the sea and coastline remained accessible for people's enjoyment. And to this end, a public meeting would be held with residents on October 17 to get their views.

"I feel very strongly that we have to try our best not to lose areas where we enjoy the sea and coastline. This was a project where the investors very happily agreed that that's exactly what they would have as an objective, and this is what makes it so good," he stated.

Saying he personally supported the project because it was a win-win situation, the consultant added that "the developer gets a little bit of ease in terms of the width of space he can use, and the public gets a nicer walkway along the coast".

In a Press release issued late yesterday, the Simons also defended the project, adding they were not
"regular faceless developers from abroad".

"We have been extremely careful to consider the rights of the local people throughout the design of this scheme. Our intention has always been to create a new and safer vehicular access to the public beach at Batts Rock to include a proper foot path. The old access
. . . is unsafe and has had many accidents over
the years," it stated.