The Cayman Islands Government has published findings from the Cayman Forward Initiative, recommending reforms to planning and environmental management policies and procedures.
It comes following three months of consultations between the government and private sector and a full-day summit culminating in a report with nine key findings and 13 recommendations.
In the past week, both the Caucus and Cabinet have approved the recommendations in full.
In a social media video on 11 July, Premier André Ebanks outlined the broad roadmap to address decades-long tensions between planning and environmental decision-making bodies.
“The NCFC government does not accept that we have to choose between a thriving economy and a beautiful natural environment. We can have both,” Ebanks said.
He added: “The status quo isn’t working for anyone – not for those who build, not for those who protect.”
He said the report, developed by UK-based consultant ForgeFront, focuses on four areas in the short-term.
These are developing a strategic task force, led by the premier’s office; streamlining routine application processing; establishing timelines for planning entities to deliver responses; and requiring planning entities to regularly publish meeting minutes.
Implementation will be phased across four timeframes – zero to 30 days, 30 to 60 days, 60 to 180 days, and beyond 180 days – to ensure changes are sequenced and achievable.
Any legislative or regulatory amendments arising from the recommendations will go through the usual public consultation process.
“Cayman Forward has given us a clear roadmap for a shared decision framework based on evidence and collaboration,” Ebanks said.
“It hasn’t always been easy, but people who haven’t sat in the same room in years came together in good faith and found common ground. That gives us real hope.”
As part of the initiative, the government plans to present its first updated National Development Plan in almost 30 years to parliament later this year.
If successful, the development plan will become the reference document for the National Conservation Council and the Central Planning Authority in their decision-making processes.
In a statement on 10 July, environmental stakeholder Sustainable Cayman said it was encouraged by the government’s commitment to improving the planning and environmental decision-making framework.
“Reducing unnecessary delays, improving transparency, and strengthening collaboration between public bodies are important steps towards a more effective and predictable governance system,” Sustainable Cayman said.
“The Cayman Islands has reached an important point in its development.
“As our population grows and pressures on land, infrastructure, and natural resources continue to increase, planning decisions must be supported by robust evidence, effective coordination, and a long-term vision for resilience.”
Sustainable Cayman called for a development plan that would look not just at process improvements but at the issues of climate resilience, infrastructure capacity and the value of natural assets like mangroves, wetlands, reefs and drainage networks.
Not all stakeholders engaged with the Cayman Forward process, however.
Ahead of the summit, Cayman’s opposition party objected to the initiative’s informal structure, raising concerns about transparency, and declined to participate.
The Premier’s Office defended the process at the time as a “well-structured form of informal stakeholder consultation”.
It added that any resulting legislative changes would still go through the normal parliamentary process.
The report can be accessed in full here.
