🏚️ Historic Cayman cottage receives temporary reprieve from demolition

The Herbert Parsons' House, a historic Cayman cottage on Boggy Sand Road, has been granted a temporary stay from demolition. The Central Planning Authority (CPA) adjourned the application for the second time due to concerns about the design of the proposed duplex and plans for the removal or destruction of the traditional home. The house, built in the wattle and daub style and estimated to be over 100 years old, is one of the few remaining traditional homes in the Boggy Sand and West Bay historic zone. It is also listed on the National Trust's historic homes register. 🏡

The owners of the property wish to demolish or move the cottage to make way for a modern duplex. However, the Department of the Environment (DoE) raised concerns about the proposed development, noting that it could impact critical turtle nesting habitat and that the duplex design does not align with the historical, architectural, or cultural character of the area. The DoE recommended that the application be refused, urging the applicant to revisit the duplex design, keep the cottage on site, and propose a development that respects the unique characteristics and cultural heritage of the Historic Overlay Zone. 🐢

The CPA is tasked with promoting and preserving historic buildings and their architectural heritage within the Historic Overlay Zone. The planning department advised the authority to ensure that any development in the historic zone conforms to traditional workmanship, design, scale, massing, form, materials, decoration, color, and methods of construction, as well as the location of windows and doors. The project should also reflect the historic pattern of development in the Islands. 🗺️