As the government presses ahead with work to draw up a new development plan, community campaigners are asking how much growth the Cayman Islands can sustainably accommodate.
According to Sustainable Cayman, addressing this question will be central to aligning Cayman’s development strategy with its long-term environmental, social and economic objectives.
To find answers, the environmental and sustainability group has called on policymakers to undertake two pieces of work – a carrying capacity study and a strategic environmental assessment.
The Cayman-based organisation explained to Cayman Independent on 21 July that a carrying capacity study helps to determine how many people the islands can sustainably support.
It looks at population, housing, infrastructure, utilities, transport, public services, freshwater, waste management and ecological limits.
“In other words, it helps answer ‘How much growth can Cayman sustainably accommodate?’” the group said.
Subsequently, a strategic environmental assessment would assess whether the proposed development plan is the best way to achieve that future.
“It evaluates alternative planning scenarios, cumulative environmental impacts, climate resilience and mitigation measures before the plan is adopted,” Sustainable Cayman said.
“In other words, it asks, ‘Is this the right plan?’”
This is often the mechanism through which the need for further technical studies can be identified and commissioned, the organisation said.
It pointed to planning frameworks in Scotland, Malta and the wider European Union as models Cayman could adapt.
Assessing population growth
In the recent report ‘Population, progress, and the people of the Cayman Islands’, regional economist Marla Dukharan referenced the need for carrying capacity information.
She said it is as “crucial to any policy decision to allow the population to continue to grow via work permits/inward migration”.
Her report notes that Cayman’s estimated population reached 90,577 in December 2025 and is approaching 100,000, arguing that the islands are growing “by default” in the absence of a stated target.
“We have no clue from an ecological standpoint, what population size could be comfortably sustained and how, in the Cayman Islands, especially in Grand Cayman,” the report states.
The renewed attention to population growth comes as Premier André Ebanks has committed to presenting the island’s first development plan since 1997 to parliament as soon as possible.
Ebanks, in social media remarks posted on 12 July, spoke of the conclusion of the Cayman Forward initiative, which gathered diverse stakeholder views on the topic of development.
He credited it with providing “a clear roadmap for a shared decision framework based on evidence and collaboration” to advance decision-making around development and the environment.
That initiative’s post-summit report indicates a planning statement is on track to be tabled in September 2026, with further consultation to follow before a development plan is finalised.
The Cayman Forward report lists “clearer triggers for environmental review and strategic environmental assessments” among the non-negotiable “must haves” for a framework.
Dukharan has opened an anonymous survey asking Caymanians directly how they feel about the territory’s growth, with results expected to be published in September.
The survey, which will be open for submissions until the end of the month, can be accessed here.
