At first, it was concerns surrounding the construction of a wall on the beachside of the multi-million dollar property; now it’s another wall constructed on the roadside of the property creating concerns.
GBN’s christlina john sought clarity from officials of Kimpton Kwana Bay after infrastructure minister Norland Cox said he knew nothing about the concerns raised.
Picture Footage sent to our news desk shows a wall that is part of the KIMPTON KAWANA BAY Resort project in the south of the island, erected in the ‘Road’.
Not only that, but information reaching GBN also suggests that on completion of the project, the now main access road leading to sites such as BBC beach, Quarantine Park, and other areas will be condemned and an alternative road will be established.
Seeking transparency, the questions were posed to minister for Infrastructure Development, Norland Cox, during Tuesday’s media brief.
Our news team visited the site in the south of the island and spoke with Eduard Lemmen VP of construction design for the Kwana Bay project.
He is not accepting the claims that they are constructing on the public road.
Lemmen added that with the widening of the road, it can accommodate two vehicles at the same time as well as a footpath for pedestrians.
Three buildings are already complete with construction ongoing on the fourth.
According to the 2021 Budget, statement, work is currently underway on the fourth and final building of this project which is scheduled for completion in 2021. Investment to date is over EC$150 million, with up to 240 construction jobs created. The resort which will add 133 rooms and 31 suites to Grenada’s room stock is expected to be operational in 2022, creating 300 permanent jobs.
Kimpton Kawana Bay is an approved project under Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.
This is not the first time projects undertaken by foreign investors have created a stir. Back in 2018 during the construction phase of the Silver Sands Hotel in Grand Anse, a portion of a wall constructed on the beach had to be taken down, since it violated the 1998 Lands Development Regulations.
With people speaking out on their disdain over several foreign investors’ projects, such as the Six Senses hotel project in St. David and others, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, as well as Parliamentary representative for St. Patrick West Anthony Boatswain, referred to those persons as armchair environmentalists.
Efforts to reach an official from the physical planning unit to explain the allowances given for building close to the road proved futile.
