(CNS): At a Central Planning Authority meeting last month, the board adjourned an application by Invincible Investment Corporation for a more than $153 million re-vamp of the Westin Hotel on Seven Mile Beach. The CPA has ordered the developers to undertake a traffic survey to assess the impact of the proposed ten-storey tower and expanded conference facility on the area. This is the second application by the Westin to redevelop the existing hotel site. The first attempt in 2020 was refused.

The application was knocked back two years, ago largely as a result of inadequate parking, most of which would be located offsite, and the impact on the West Bay Road. Although this second application has not changed significantly, according to the minutes of last month’s meeting, the reconsideration by the CPA has given the hotel owner another chance.

The CPA has directed the applicant to submit a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) based on the requirements of the National Roads Authority and approved terms of reference, which the board will ultimately approve. In the minutes the CPA said the assessment would “assist it in making a fully informed decision regarding traffic impact including the proposed off-site parking”, as well as the issue of the safety of pedestrians crossing the West Bay Road.

The NRA said that there would be a “moderate to significant” impact from making the resort larger on both the West Bay Road and the Esterley Tibbetts Highway, and there had been discussion with the developers about removing the turning lane and creating a median in the area based on the complete streets concept. “This is a good basis in which to handle the increase in traffic that will occur with this proposed project,” the NRA stated in its submissions.

The project will increase both foot and road traffic as the application proposes increasing the rooms at the Westin from 343 to 559 in a hotel annexe. It will include a much larger conference facility than currently exists, as well as several changes of use to the existing buildings and two new swimming pools, one on the ground floor and one on the rooftop. It will also see some of the existing hotel being demolished to make way for the ten-storey tower.

According to the minutes, there are no objectors to the project as the neighbouring Villas of the Galleon strata withdrew their objections following a meeting with the developers that addressed their concerns. Invincible Investment has also agreed to the Department of Environment’s directive and recommendations.

The DoE had reviewed and provided comments for previous proposals and found that an environmental impact assessment on the project was not necessary. However, there are several environmental concerns associated with the project that will need to be addressed. Having laid out the problems, including the risk to turtle nesting and the erosion of the beach, the DoE had issued a number of directions and recommendations. The experts also welcome the change in the new plans to remove a fire lane from the beach and other hard structures.

In addition to directions aimed at protecting nesting turtles, the DoE stressed the importance of retaining the sand that will be excavated during construction and putting back on the beach to stabilise it. “The sand reserves in front of the resort are important to the resilience of the beach system and are a natural source of sand which replenishes the beach profile after major storms,” the experts said.

During the meeting last month the developers’ representatives were questioned extensively about the parking issues and the plan to have most of it across the street. They told the CPA that they could not create integral parking on the site because of the water table and prohibitive engineering costs.

When asked about the timeframe for the project, architect Andrew Gibb told the board that it was hard to say. He said the owners were watching the financial markets daily as the price of some construction materials has come down while others have gone up. But with 70% of the final design drawings completed and some $5 million already spent, the project was moving forward. Once it starts, the construction will take anywhere between 28 to 30 months.

See the CPA meeting in the CNS Library (scroll down to “Westin”).

---