August 4th, 2019
The developers of a planned $70 million resort and residential community on Tortola say that the project is still underway. Now dubbed Drake’s Landing, after the English explorer Sir Francis Drake, the project has been in work since 2015 and will be located in Havers on the south-western coast of Tortola between Pleasant Valley in the east and Pockwood Pond in the west.
According to a May 9, 2019 article in The BVI Beacon, “Developer Robert Wong on Tuesday insisted that the Virgin Islands “desperately needs development” and said the project is under way, but he declined to comment further.” The article went on to say that, “An L-shaped jetty was built in Havers on April 24 as a preliminary step towards the Drake’s Landing project… Work was subsequently halted after what government’s chief planner described as a misunderstanding, but it is expected to resume soon.”
Mr. Wong is part of a consortium of local investors known as JSSR Holdings. “If approved, the Drake’s Landing development, shown above in an artist’s rendering, would be built on 4.2 acres of reclaimed land and would include a 150-room hotel and a 114-slip marina, according to revised plans,” the article said.
A previous article from July 13, 2018 in the BVI Beacon indicated that the project, if approved, will take place in phases over a period of six years. The first, will involve the reclamation of the land as well as construction of the marina, breakwaters, manmade beaches, ship’s store and dockmaster’s office. Phase two will consist of the hotel and services such as a spa, health centre and restaurants. Subsequent phases will involve the construction of condominiums, the number of which will depend on advance sales. The article, recapping meeting at Valerie O. Thomas Community Centre in Sea Cows Bay, quoted community members who expressed concerns about the project’s potential environmental impact, hurricane resilience and what would happen to the existing homes nearby.
Read the full article in The BVI Beacon
Photo courtesy The BVI Beacon