Echoing concerns for their future by George Town’s business community, local transport operators yesterday asked for guarantees of the their own livelihoods in the face of massive cruise-berth development.

Fearing they will be closed out of opportunities for tourism and transport, operators have echoed worries recently expressed by downtown business that high costs for nearly 130,000 square feet of new retail space could ruin
their enterprises.

“They are not the only ones concerned,” West Bay boat-tour operator Capt. Bryan Ebanks, said yesterday. “The taxi and bus operators are also concerned. Where do we come in? Where is our stake? We don’t know what’s going to be included and where in that project.

“The retail section is huge, and we are concerned not just about the retailers, but about transport as well,” he said.

Mr Ebanks has been a consistent critic of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) plans for a two-pier cruise berth and accompanying eight acres of “upland” development around the docking basin. Preliminary designs call for massive retail areas, restaurants, a hotel, a mega-yacht marina, a chandlery, customs and immigration halls, cargo processing and ancillary facilities.

Earlier this week, a group of downtown merchants headed by Edmar Discount Drugs owner Noel March signed a three-page letter to Premier McKeeva Bush worrying that government had failed to consult them about the implications of the retail portion of the project. The group feared local streets would become “a ghost town” as merchants were bankrupted by falling revenues, excessive rental prices for “upland” space and dramatically diminished tourist traffic.

“This is not sound long-term planning,” Mr March wrote of CHEC plans, “because it can jeopardise Grand Cayman as a walking destination for our cruise visitors. “In essence,” he said, “it will corral them within the proposed cruise-berthing facility, thus negatively impacting every merchant currently located along the
 downtown waterfront.”

Mr Ebanks said similar fears affected other local businesses.

”What about my 200 bookings, the horse riding, the jet skis, there are dozens of others? What are we supposed to do? Are we going to be charged a premium? If so, I cannot afford my business.”

Christopher Hadome, owner of George Town’s Taxi Service and Tours, had similar concerns.

“Right now, my concern is having permission for taxis to operate at the port. We have no clue, there are no plans, and there is nothing we can say. We have seen nothing so we cannot even speculate,” he said.

”So it is a concern because we have seen nothing and just don’t know. I am thinking the government will be able to supply that permission, and we will try to have a special meeting with government to say we need permission for the port.

“For now, though, all we can do is watch and see what happens,” he said. Captain Ebanks, however, remained skeptical of promises.

”We don’t have faith in promises. We have all seen too many and you can’t bank them. We need assurances and we need them from Mr Bush. We can hardly go back to him after the fact.

“The independent transport people and the independent boat operators want something legally binding, a guaranteed right, up front at the beginning if we can. This is to protect the interests of the people,” Capt Ebanks said.
Ellio Solomon, UDP MLA for George Town and head of government’s negotiation team for CHEC, moved yesterday to
placate fears.

“It will be better than ever. There will only be more opportunity,” he said. “There will be more space and more parking and more room for pick-ups, for buses and taxis
and others.

“There are specific areas for passengers to be picked up,” he said.

Only an indicative artists impression has so far been displayed of the upland development, and while allotting space for excursion buses, tour boats, dive operators and parking, no formal design has been released.