By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Harbour Island development and its opponents yesterday renewed battle over allegations the project will impose further strain on the destination's already overloaded water and electricity infrastructure.

4M Harbour Island, the Briland Club developer, slammed Br-Island Responsible Development Association (BIRD) for "laughable" claims it plans to bring cruise ships to its project as the two sides intensified their fire ahead of Friday's Town Planning Meeting on the project's second Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).'

Arguing that the latest assertions "indicate a heightened level of desperation on the part of our detractors", 4M and its principal, Michael Wiener, said in a statement that while the project would tie-in to the Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) and Water & Sewerage grids as mandated by law it would generate its own water and energy.

Despite pledging that it has $3m worth of generators and electrical equipment on Harbour Island, capable of producing 3 Mega Watts (MW) of power with the possibility of being expanded to 5 MW in later phases, the developer's arguments were met with scepticism by BIRD.

A spokesperson for the group, denying all knowledge of any claims linking 4M to bringing cruise ships to the island, confirmed that the extra electricity and water load potentially being generated by the 63 planned residences at the Briland Club was a major concern on the basis it had not been adequately addressed in the latest EIA.

They revealed that BIRD has now started a petition on change.org to lobby the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) not to issue 4M's environmental clearance approvals "until such time as an infrastructure feasibility study is completed for the island and made publicly available for review, and until such time as the concerns expressed by the public are taken into account and incorporated into the development's plans".

Firing the first salvo, 4M said: "It has been brought to our attention that more misinformation concerning 4M Harbour Island Ltd’s development is being spread by opponents. The latest round of misinformation to hit the rumor mill is that Briland Club intends to bring cruise ships to Harbour Island, and its development will run only off the already-strained water and electrical grids of Harbour Island.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. Briland Club is unaware of (and not involved with) any effort to bring cruise ships to Harbour Island. The mere thought is laughable and indicates a heightened level of desperation on the part of our detractors."

Turning to the other concern, 4M added: "Their recent attack about the strained water and electrical services is another recent attempt to mischaracterise the Briland Club development. Our project, like all businesses, is required by the utility companies to tie into the water and electricity grids.

"Briland Club - as previously indicated - will be capable of providing 100 percent of the electricity and water services for its project, and will not use BPL electricity or Water and Sewerage Corporation water unless and only to the extent required by law. We previously highlighted this point in a fact sheet which was circulated in December 2019.

"Briland Club currently has over $3m worth of generators and electrical service equipment sitting on island ready for the day-to-day operation of the project. This generator capacity is the equivalent of 3 MW of power in the first phase, and capable of expanding to 5 MW in later phase," they added.

"Likewise, Briland Club is capable of being self-sufficient for potable water with its own reverse osmosis water system. Also, and to further our environmental consciousness, sewage generated on site will be treated and used for irrigation."

A source familiar with the development conceded that the latest EIA, which will be discussed at Friday's Town Planning Meeting, was unclear on whether 4M will use public utility services or produce its own power and water. However, they argued that the latter objective was the intention.

"The BOH (back of house) area will include the wastewater treatment plant, standby generators, standby reverse osmosis plant and water storage tanks," the EIA says. "It is located in the north-east corner of the property near Queen’s Highway.

"Potable water will be provided via a combination of potable water supply from the Water and Sewerage Corporation and the on-site standby reverse osmosis (RO) plants. A sanitary sewer system will be constructed on site to treat all wastewater produced by the development.

"Storm water from roads and buildings will be collected in drainage swales, drainage wells and conveyed to dry storm water retention areas throughout the site. Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) will provide electricity for the property and standby diesel generators will be installed to provide backup power supply to the site."

This was seized on by the BIRD spokesperson, who said: "There is no detail on where power is going to come from. There is no detail on how much water they're going to use, and where that is going to come from.

"What we're advocating for, and asking 4M to do, is they partner with us and we commission an infrastructure feasibility study for the island that not only takes into consideration their development but other developments on the island."