Ironwood, the Arnold Palmer golf community in the Eastern Districts, has received permission from the Department of Planning to begin construction.

In working with the National Trust to be as environmentally conscious as possible, Ironwood developers have agreed to delay construction works until October so as to avoid blue iguana nesting season.

The approval covers the first phase of construction, which includes the land excavation and preparation for the 18-hole championship course, the 9-hole executive course and the interconnected lake system. Submissions for the buildings and infrastructure are in the last stages of development and are expected to be made before summer’s end.

Ironwood developer David Moffitt was pleased with the approval announcement: “we have been working diligently with the community, the National Trust, Government, and first rate local and international companies over the last several years to get this project off the ground and are delighted that the real work is about to begin. We are on the road to making the Ironwood dream a reality”, he said.

In the application to the Central Planning Board, Mr. Moffitt detailed the many steps that they have taken already to be good neighbours and good stewards of the environment, including: redesigning the golf course and the residential communities to accommodate requests from the National Trust to provide a buffer between Ironwood and The Botanic Park; delaying the site works to avoid the active nesting season and to provide an opportunity to find and relocate any blue iguanas and orchids; relocating the golf course to avoid the water lens; developing plans for an on-site sewage treatment plant that will enable treated water to be reused on the golf course; acting as a mediator between the NRA and the National Trust to come to a satisfactory rerouting of the East-West Arterial to avoid the sensitive Mastic Trail; and working with Arnold Palmer to design the course with the intention of seeking the Audubon Society rating, one of the highest distinctions of environmental sustainability available for golf courses.

A historic slave wall has also been found on the site and the developers are working with Mr. Jerry Frazier (pictured) of the National Trust’s Historic Programme to save it.