Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands – It’s a history-making move that signals a significant step forward for Health City Cayman Islands – and a milestone for the planning process in the Cayman Islands.

Both Planned Area Development applications for the innovative medical tourism hospital and its associated facilities have been approved by the Central Planning Authority. Health City Cayman Islands is the first project to submit an application under this new, streamlined process that was introduced into local planning law in 2010. Planned Area Developments – or PADs – are for mixed-use projects encompassing more than 40 acres that are master-planned as one development.

It is the first PAD application – and approval – in Cayman’s history.

The two PAD approvals that make up Health City Cayman Islands encompass 100 acres of land. The first PAD includes plans to build a hospital, hotel, and medical and nursing schools on 50 acres of land in the High Rock area of East End. The second PAD includes an adjoining 50 acres of land to build another hotel, commercial and retail ventures, restaurants, and residential and assisted living accommodations.

The two PADs were submitted in late November at around the same time so that the Planning Department and Central Planning Authority could consider them together to take into account how each site would impact one another.

The landmark Health City Cayman Islands project – the first of its kind in the Caribbean – is the vision of renowned cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty who heads up the Narayana Hrudayalaya group of hospitals in India. Dr. Shetty has teamed up with Ascension Health Alliance, the largest non-profit healthcare provider in the United States, to build Phase One of the Cayman project. Businessmen Gene Thompson is Project Director, and he and Harry Chandi are Dr. Shetty’s local partners for the project.

The PAD applications were submitted after months of consultation and collaboration with the Department of Planning, working closely with Director of Planning Haroon Pandohie and Assistant Director Ron Sanderson.

“We are extremely pleased with the great reception and cooperation we received from the Planning Department, and other government agencies, on this pioneering project,” said Mr. Thompson. “Health City Cayman Islands will bring state-of-the-art,low-cost services to the island and create a world-class destination for medical tourism.”

The groundbreaking PAD application, submitted by the Burns Conolly Group, is a comprehensive document addressing such wide-ranging issues as infrastructure, the environment, and social aspects of the development, as well as its related facilities. The fees for the PAD and planning applications for Health City Cayman Islands totaled around CI$400,000.

Health City local architect Burns Conolly said creating the first PAD application under the new law was an exciting process.

“The Burns Conolly Group is proud it was chosen to produce the first PAD, and we have worked very closely with our client as well as the Planning Department to craft the documents to include what was needed. It will undoubtedly set the standard for PAD applications into the future.”

He added: “These PAD master plans have to be thought out on all levels as they will set the parameters for development on the site for the next 20, 30, or 40 years. You have to consider everything – from construction phasing, traffic growth, distribution of utilities, environmental issues, the relationship of each of the uses, to ultimately the quality of the spaces being created.

“Given that we are looking at more than 1.5 million square feet of buildings, with associated parking and services, it has to be done correctly up front. We are now pleased to see the applications have gained approval and look forward in the next few weeks for the full start of the Phase One building which is scheduled to be operational in early 2014 as it will bring a lot of needed work to the local economy.”

To reduce the environmental impact on the island, the PAD master plan features a number of infrastructure mitigation initiatives. They include:

–       Waste management reduction through recycling, reduced use, onsite sterilization of medical waste, incineration, and shredding

–       Water usage reduction by recycling of rain water for grey water; use of sewage effluent for landscaping irrigation; use of drought-resistant local flora and fauna for landscaping; and recycling of SWAC (Sea Water Air Conditioning) water by-product

–       Minimization of the electrical load on the existing system through use of SWAC, solar energy, and high-efficiency building design

–       Sewage to be treated onsite, with the effluent used for irrigation

–       A non-commercial onsite nursery for recycling felled trees and use of excavated peat in landscaping

The US$2 billion project is being built in phases over 15 years and will eventually include 2,000 beds. The multi-specialty center of excellence will provide services not widely available in the region such as open-heart and bypass surgery, angioplasty, heart-valve replacement, cancer treatment, and organ transplant.

The first phase, a 140-bed hospital, is expected to open in early 2014.

To learn more about Health City Cayman Islands, visit the website www.healthcitycaymanislands.com, which is updated regularly.