A new water sports dock at the Grand Hyatt hotel has failed to get the green light from the Department of Environment due to concerns over its impact on marine life.
A coastal works application for the 118-foot dock, which was intended for use by dive boats, catamarans and tour operators, was submitted by the developers of the 10-storey hotel, scheduled for completion later this year at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach.
The dock was intended to be used by guests at the Grand Hyatt and the general public, the application said, with the largest proposed boat to be berthed at the dock being a 60-foot catamaran operated by Red Sail Sports.
While the Central Planning Authority deals with planning issues on land, applications for coastal works in the Cayman Islands are sent for review to the DoE, which makes its recommendations to Cabinet.
In its Coastal Works Review of the plans submitted by developers Pageant Beach Hotel for the commercial dock, the DoE said, “We have carefully considered the environmental impacts associated with the proposed dock and the mitigation measures proposed by the applicant. In light of the environmental impacts … the Department recommends this application in its current form for refusal.”
The submitted plans showed the proposed dock would be constructed from a 10-foot wide, 8-inch thick reinforced concrete deck slab, supported by 80 12-inch diameter steel pipe piles with a 0.5-inch wall thickness that would be driven into the seabed using a vibratory hammer. The piles would be filled with concrete and then connected together with reinforced concrete beams.
Environmental concerns
Concerns raised by the DoE include the impact of the proposed lighting on the dock on turtle nesting sites, the effect of a concrete dock and steel piles on coral life due to vibrations and blocking out the sun, and the impact on other sea users, such as snorkellers visiting the nearby shipwreck of the Gamma, which is 70 feet off-shore.
The DoE said it did not object to having a dock in the proposed location in principle, as the site of the Grand Hyatt, just north of the Wharf restaurant on West Bay Road, is considered to be outside the Seven Mile Beach active sediment transport system.
However, the DoE said, “the proposed dock is not compatible with the environmentally sensitive nature of the Marine Protected Area due to its reinforced concrete deck, its size, the construction methodology including the need for chemicals toxic to marine life, the lack of turtle friendly lighting, the provision of water and electrical supply on the dock. In its current form, the Department recommends that Cabinet refuse this application.”
It recommended that the design of the dock be revised so that it would be more sensitive to the Marine Protected Area. The developers had already reduced the length of the dock from 133 feet 9 inches and, the DoE said, “If there is any scope to reduce the dock further, this would reduce the extent of impacts to the marine environment.”
Once a design is formally submitted to Cabinet, there is no appeal process for a Cabinet decision on a coastal works application that is refused permission.
Hyatt to open later this year
When it opens, the Grand Hyatt resort will be the largest hotel complex on Grand Cayman with 382 hotel rooms and residences, six restaurants and bars, several swimming pools and a 9,000-square-foot destination spa with 14 treatment rooms, an herbal steam room, outdoor vitality pool, chromotherapy and fitness centre.
Plans for a large resort hotel on the site of the old Pageant Beach property were first approved in 2018 and construction began in 2019, but the development was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financing challenges. In 2023, Sterling Global Financial announced it was partnering with Pageant Beach Hotel Ltd to take the project to completion.
