BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO) at Christophe Harbour Development LeGrand Elebash has come forward with information to correct a number of inaccuracies that have recently been circulated about the development at the Southeast peninsula.
In a press conference held yesterday (May 6), issues related to land ownership at the peninsula, beach access to locals, the development agreement between the developers and government and the company’s commitments to environmental sustainability were all clarified as management deemed it critical for the public to be well-informed.
“Probably one of the largest misconceptions that has made it into the public realm is that somehow Christophe Harbour acquired land from government to proceed with this development when it is a well-known fact that these lands were privately owned. The developers of Christophe Harbour and our predecessors acquired lands on the Southeast peninsula from private owners in order to create the vision for this master plan,” Elebash informed.
The COO described the concern about beach access to locals as “very sensitive” and that it may be easily misinterpreted. He stressed that the development company intends to continue operating within the ambit of the law to ensure that locals are given access to the beaches.
“It is something that we feel very strongly about as we are attempting as a responsible developer to act not only within the law, but within what is right in terms of continuing to provide access to the beaches on the peninsula. The beaches on the peninsula remain completely open to the public; nothing has changed with regard to that and there has been no barring of access to any of the beaches,” he added.
Elebash made it clear that the government has not “abdicated its control of the development process”– a misconception he claimed has been in the public domain for some time. He informed that the development agreement with the government is “highly complex” and calls for significant government oversight of the company’s operations.
“We absolutely are not free to just do as we will,” Elebash said. “We view ourselves in partnership with the people of St. Kitts-Nevis; we cannot develop the peninsula in a vacuum. We are seeking to develop the peninsula in a co-operative fashion and it would be impossible to do it otherwise,” he added.
The company has been committed more than just lip-service to environmentally-friendly practices Elebash said, noting the parent company, Kiawah Development Partners, has had a 20-year track record of “environmentally responsible patterns”.
“We are an environmentally-sensitive developer; we are not just changing course suddenly and abruptly. Christophe Harbour will be developed in the same responsible pattern that we have demonstrated as a company for over two decades.
“There was a process in place that we follow for every step of development on the peninsula. From the very beginning when we performed a strategic environmental assessment must be performed for each phase of the project and submitted to government for review and approval,” Elebash said.
The project has spearheaded geotechnical, seismic and archaeological studies on the area and has partnered with various local environmental organisations as the company seeks to protect heritage sites and vulnerable marine life.
The Christophe Harbour master plan covers 2 500 acres and includes a Tom Fazio golf course, world-class marina and internationally acclaimed Mandarin Oriental resort as well as a number of restaurants and residential areas.
