In Antigua the Observer News has reported that because economic activity on Barbuda has virtually ground to a halt, so serious consideration must be given to a proposed marina development in the sister isle’s southeast area, worth more than US $100 million.
The development has been proposed by Stanhope Shepherd International Limited, which Punter said, is an affiliate of JHR Caribbean Real Estate at Jolly Harbour.
Plans include two marinas, one for superyachts and the other for smaller craft An 18-hole golf course, 5-star hotel and restaurant are also envisaged.
Such a project would bring welcomed employment to the island. Jobs are scarce now that a fisheries project that was funded by the Japanese finished about four to six weeks ago, which according to Kelvin Punter the island councils chairman “has left Barbuda like a ghost town.”
He added, “The only employers left here are the Barbuda Council and the one hotel that is operational that is offering employment. We don’t really have much of a private sector.”
For the past months, the council has had difficulties paying wages and salaries and it is currently looking to downsize its workforce of almost 500 as a result.
The council is expected to face strong opposition from some residents to the more than 1,600 acres being requested by the developers.
In April, Barbudans voted overwhelmingly against plans by another group, Palmetto Point Developers, to acquire an additional 60 acres of land.
Based on this and other factors, Punter said he and his colleagues intend to go through the entire proposal with “a fine-toothed comb” to determine whether any area of the plan could be eliminated.