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Facing fierce opposition from nearby
residents, Disney has canceled plans to build a cruise ship port on an unspoiled
Bahamian island.
 Disney
officials said they backed off plans after an initial environmental study found
the work would damage coral on Egg Island, an uninhabited island off the north
coast of Eleuthera and ringed by a pristine reef. The company, which also leases
an island off Great Abaco, wanted to create a second exclusive stop with a
terminal.
“We recently completed a careful and thorough review of a project at Egg Island
and determined that the environmental impact of our intended development would
be too significant,” Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in a
statement.
News of the project outraged residents of nearby Spanish Wells, who quickly
organized a petition that collected nearly 3,000 signatures and prompted the
local district council to demand answers from Prime Minister Perry Christie. We
are just happy to hear the project will not go forward and the environment in
the area will not be destroyed. In a text message Kenred Dorsett, minister of
Environment and Housing, said, “We are just happy to hear the project will not
go forward and the environment in the area will not be destroyed.”
Dorsett said he had not seen a copy of the study, but Disney officials confirmed
that an initial assessment had been submitted to the country’s commission that
oversees conservation.
Turning islands into private retreats for cruisers has grown in popularity since
Norwegian first leased Great Stirrup Cay in the 1970s. Including Disney’s
Castaway Cay, five islands in the Bahamas now provide exclusive island vacations
with private beaches, fake shipwrecks and water slides. At the opposite end of
Eleuthera, Princess Cruise Lines operates Princess Cays on 40 acres of
beachfront.
But residents say Egg Island, the only
remaining cay in the district not privately owned or leased, has long been used
by locals for beach parties and summer getaways. At just 12 acres, the island is
beloved for its undisturbed shores, where turtles regularly nest, and a reef
just off the beach.
A copy of an environmental study compiled by the group as well as a report
suggesting the island might have been Christopher Columbus’s first stop in the
New World was submitted to Disney. The Spanish Wells district council also sent
a letter.
Residents hope to eventually to have the island designated as a sanctuary, open
to fishing, diving and other recreational activities but protected from
development. It was just such an emotional issue, to think how close this
community was to losing Egg Island, For the community, it’s a huge win.
For the Bahamas it was an eye-opener for the importance of these issues.”
As for Disney, the company said it regularly looks for “opportunities for
growth” but currently has no specific plans for other islands in the Bahamas. |
