NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Royal Caribbean International has announced that it will hold an additional public consultation in conjunction with The Bahamas’ Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) on June 8th to answer questions regarding its $100 million beach club development.
The company in a statement noted that now that it has received ‘approval in principle’ from the National Economic Council (NEC)—subject to appropriate environmental review—it is “eager” to address the environmental questions raised by the local community.
Further details regarding the public consultation meeting will be announced in the coming days.
Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer, Royal Caribbean International, following a recent visit to Nassau, lauded Government’s strict environmental protection and planning policies. He acknowledged that questions already raised by the community would be addressed and that any discussions before NEC’s conditional approval would have been premature.
RCI said that once the public consultation period has closed in line with the DEPP process, Royal Caribbean will publish a detailed Environmental Management Plan (EMP) that outlines how the company will thoughtfully restore the long-neglected stretch of land on the western end of Paradise Island.
“The majority of the 13 acres we have purchased is far from pristine. There are remnants of abandoned and neglected buildings and houses — many built more than half a century ago with no restrictions on infrastructure,” said Schneider.
“Today, what remains are crumbling structures, protruding rusting metal rebar, broken glass, furniture that has been tossed out and exposed to the elements, and debris and trash along with overgrown invasive vegetation.”
While clearing and clean-up will be one of the first steps in creating the beach experience, Royal Caribbean has stated that it will “go above and beyond the requirements of the environmental management process related to land use and marine life by monitoring bird activity, noise levels and regular reporting of coral reef health.”
Recently, the cruise line released its six environmental pillars for the development of the Royal Beach Club, including: zero waste-to-landfill, 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, best-in-class wastewater treatment, no dredging and no overwater cabanas, protecting the surrounding habitat, and local environmental monitoring.
“We are looking forward to creating a beach experience that will be a beautiful, environmentally conscientious experience owned in part by Bahamians and operated and enjoyed by Bahamians,” claimed Schneider.
“The Royal Beach Club will dramatically restore and enhance the western stretch of Paradise Island and we invite others who seem concerned to follow us on our journey of restoration and inclusion.”
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