Roy: No destruction of
Mullet Pond expected
PHILIPSBURG--Mullet Pond is a vital asset and should be incorporated in any redevelopment of the area, Environmental Development and Property Management Commissioner Roy Marlin said Wednesday.
Asked by the press about his view on the efforts of the newly formed Mullet Pond Coalition, Marlin said, “I would think that the owners of Mullet Bay when redeveloping will realise the importance of the pond to the whole property. It is part of the whole environment. You would not want to destroy that pond for the redevelopment of the hotel.”
It is not necessary to destroy the pond as there is about 170 acres of land in Mullet Bay, enough for a hotel development, Marlin added. “For the redevelopment of a hotel there is no need for you to touch the pond because there is so much land available.”
Commenting on plans for the area that have been floating on the internet, the commissioner said no plans have yet been submitted by SunResorts, owner of Mullet Bay, for redevelopment of the property.
Learning of the plans on the internet, Marlin contacted SunResorts and it indicated that the plans did not belong to it.
Asked if approval of the area’s zoning plan before the developers put in a request for a planning permit would not safeguard the pond, its mangroves and sea grass more concretely, Marlin said that without the ordinance, government still has tools to ensure environmental regulations are kept by outlining these in a planning permit.
“The zoning plan has to come but it is not something that necessarily has to come to avoid that type of concerns the recently formed organisation [Mullet Pond Coalition],” Marlin stated.
The Mullet Pond Coalition supports the zoning of Mullet Pond, located between Point Pirouette and Mullet Beach, as a protected area in which it is to especially prohibit the removal and/or cutting of existing vegetation, including mangroves and sea grass, within 15 meters of the lagoon shoreline.
Members of the group include Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC), Nature Foundation St. Maarten, Ocean Care, and St. Maarten Pride Foundation. The coalition was formed in response to development plans recently posted on the internet which describe an 85 yacht marina for mega-yachts up to 300 feet and 32 yacht villas with private docks.
St Maarten vacation rental
