CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - DEVELOPER of Nevis’ mega ‘One and Only’ Resort is assuring the public that the project is expected to get underway later this year, and that it has not been gutted.
That assurance surfaced as questions were repeatedly asked of Premier Mark Brantley about the state of the project at his most recently held press conference, where he could not definitively give an update.
A contract was signed in January last year between the developer, Simon Lowe, and the Nevis Island Administration for the project, which is expected to provide in excess of 300 jobs for people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
But why has the sod not been turned and where is the project? Those were the questions to which SKNVibes News sought answers in an exclusive sitdown interview with Lowe, who explained that COVID-19, travel restrictions and several of the mitigation measures implemented by the Federal Government, among others, were to be blamed for the delay.
Lowe, who has connections with the Four Seasons Resort, revealed that the project was in the pipelines since 2008, but the financial crisis which grappled the world affected plans back then. It was also affected by the foreclosure the mega resort faced in 2010.
But when plans were eventually in motion last year, they were affected by the strict measures maintained by the Federal Government.
He told SKNVibes that in 2020 a renegotiation was had with the Premier over the contract with the aim of starting the work that year.
“…We spent most of 2020 in negotiations! As you know, on January 6, 2021 we signed new agreements. And at that time we agreed to start building it by January 2022. We could not do that again because of Federal quarantining; and we had to have specific clauses in our contract that if there are any delays caused by the Federal regulations relating to COVID, the time period would be extended,” explained Lowe.
With regulations such as mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the Federation and a ban on travellers from the United Kingdom and some European destination in place for the better part of last year, aided in the challenges faced by the developer.
“We also had to renegotiate the finance because of COVID. The banks and people like that were frightened; and there was no travelling and there was no hospitality…So they placed new conditions on us which I wasn’t too happy about. So, I said no, I am not going to proceed with you guys…” noted Lowe.
Despite those setbacks, a new offer was presented to Lowe and it was accepted. Now they are expected to push full steam ahead to begin work later this year. But before that can be done, a due diligence will be undertaken by the financier, which is expected to take approximately 12-15 weeks before a new Environmental Assessment Impact is carried out on the site.
Optimism was expressed that by the latter quarter of this year the sod is expected to be turned to signal that work has begun on the construction of the facility, which is expected to cost over US$75 million.
“We are now looking at breaking ground towards the end of the year,” Lowe noted. “This project is so very important for Nevis. Firstly, we are going to create between 200 to 300 jobs in terms of construction to begin with. There are some speciality trades that we have to bring in from abroad.”
According to Lowe, the project is expected to take two and three quarter years to complete, putting the opening at the middle to the end of 2025. And with that projected start period, he believes that there would be a base employment of between 200-250 from both St. Kitts and Nevis.
That number is expected to grow as construction of the villas are to be completed.
Meanwhile, even before the project gets off the ground, the Nevis Island Administration has vested interest, holding 25 percent equity in the development.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The resort will be constructed by Lowe’s company but will be branded and managed by the One and Only.
