At a groundbreaking ceremony held in the Apple Blossoms neighbourhood of West Bay Central on May 1, 2024, MP Katherine Ebanks-Wilks announced that 60 new homes will be built in the area. In addition, Ebanks-Wilks said that Apple Blossoms has now been renamed “Birch Tree Heights” to reflect the fresh changes.
Delivering the good news, Ebanks-Wilks noted that the residents were resilient and patient, having had challenging living conditions over the past 20 years with “mould-infested homes [and] living with homes that the roofs leak.”
Not only will existing residents be welcomed with the first phase of homes in the 60-home venture, but efforts will made to hire Caymanian carpenters to build the homes. In this way, it appears the project is truly a Caymanian initiative supported by and benefiting Caymanians.
Ebanks-Wilks thanked Minister of Planning Jay Ebanks, West Bay MPs and others present for either working on the former Apple Blossoms development or assisting with the progress of the new homes, which were the subject of the groundbreaking.
Regarding the challenges faced with the new homes, Ebanks-Wilks noted that having spoken to the Minister of Planning, it “wasn’t easy to figure out how we were going to build these homes without leaving someone displaced.”
Given the sensitivity of the issue, Ebanks-Wilks noted that she collaborated with other MPs to bring the project to its present stage, always contemplating the needs of future residents.
Regarding future residents, Ebanks-Wilks said she wanted to encourage her fellow West Bayers who wish to become homeowners to “come and be proud to live down in Birch Tree Heights.”
She added:
And that’s the new name for this area… Because everyone that lives in here is deserving to be proud of this new space.
We’re not going to walk into any stigmas.
This isn’t the projects.
This is a place that Caymanians can feel proud to call home.
