By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Treasure Cay development under fire from both locals and environmentalists yesterday said its project could ultimately involve a $10-$20 million investment, and create 100 “desperately needed” jobs, if it was allowed to fulfill its plans.

Tim Blakeley, the Treasure Sands Club’s vice-president, told Tribune Business that the area had “been in a drought for 20 years and we want to get it going”.

Acknowledging that the developers were losing “tens of thousands of dollars” due to the recently issued ‘cease and desist’ order from central government, Mr Blakeley nevertheless expressed optimism that the Christie administration would approve its dredging permit application and it could “get going again”.

He said that, in contrast to statements by the project’s opponents, the Treasure Sands Club had received “overwhelming support” from Abaco locals, second home owners and tourists.

And Mr Blakeley hit out at “armchair environmentalists” and the “propaganda” that had been spread about the development, arguing that it had misrepresented what the project was all about.

“We’re just waiting for central government to sort a few things out, and we will be good to go again,” the Treasure Sands Club executive told Tribune Business. “It’s all there, and we’re just waiting for a stamp and to get going again.

“There’s a few ‘is’ to dot and ‘ts’ to cross, but the project’s definitely for the good of North Abaco. It’s definitely needed.”

Tribune Business understands that the Treasure Cay developer’s dredging permit is now before the Department of Lands and Surveys, which resides in the Prime Minister’s Office, for approval. The Department’s consent is required because the seabed impacted by the dredging is Crown Land.

Organisations ranging from The Treasure Cay Property Owners Association to the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) had previously publicly called for the Government to stop the project, due to the likely environmental impact.

The Treasure Sands Club was given approval by the Government’s National Economic Council (NEC) on May 27 to develop a two-storey, 12-suite hotel with related facilities on the eastern beach front.

The application by the Sand Bar Club and Spa Ltd to develop a Fishing Lodge with a mini pier; a four-slip dock; picnic area; two tennis courts; two car parks; green areas; a yoga hut; nature trails and exercise tract on the western portion of the privately owned 9.2 acre property was also approved.

The situation has now attracted the attention of the Save the Bays environmental group, and one of its directors, attorney Fred Smith QC, has been approached by the project’s opponents about the possibility of taking legal action to block it.

Tribune Business understands that another Judicial Review lawsuit may be imminent, but Mr Blakeley said yesterday he was “not that concerned now” about the prospect of legal action.

He based this on the “overwhelming support” the Treasure Sands Club was receiving for the development from locals, tourists and second homeowners, and added: “It’s a very, very small minority of people who are trying to stop it.

“It’s quite sad. I wouldn’t want to get into why. You’d have to ask them. It is what it is. It’s unfortunate that some people are anti it for the sake of being anti it, and some people don’t like change, but locals and foreigners are overwhelmingly supportive of the project.”

Suggesting that the three-four week stoppage being endured by the developers was “too long”, Mr Blakeley told Tribune Business: “It’s so sad, because Treasure Cay is in desperate need of investment.

“It’s such an amazing beach, but there’s nothing to do here. We’ve got to provide locals, tourists and homeowners with things to do before we build the hotel.

“We want to create some activity in Treasure Cay. Treasure Cay has been in a drought for the past 20 years, and we want to get it going again.”

Mr Blakeley said the developers were looking to construct a “very tasteful” colonial-style village with wooden buildings and Bermuda roofs, plus develop amenities such as a children’s playground; kayaking; paddle boarding; and bonefishing.

He added that 
“contrary to popular belief”, the Treasure Sands Club had removed cars, washing machines and 20 bags of garbage from the nearby creek, and the dredging allowed water to naturally flow and cycle through it once again.

Mr Blakeley asserted that lemon sharks, barracudas, snappers and turtles were once again “swimming up the channel”, while the developers had once again opened up the area to bonefishing enthusiasts. No sustainable fish breeding grounds had previously existed, and when the tide went out it created a bad smell.

“There’s been so much propaganda out there about what we’re trying to do,” he said. “What we’ve dredged now is all we want to do.”

Emphasising that the developers had dredged to a depth of three feet at low tide, Mr Blakeley said there were no plans to develop a marina to attract large boats, or set up a fuel dock.

Instead, the developers wanted to construct a 200-foot boardwalk, and four 25-feet feeder piers, with the focus placed on small boats.

Mr Blakeley told Tribune Business that “the sky’s the limit” when it came to the developers’ plans, with just six acres of the 16-acre site cleared.

Cottages and golf cart tracks were a possibility, he added, along with another restaurant and a small retail village featuring Bahamian businesses.

Mr Blakeley suggested the proposed gym and spa would add 10 jobs, with the second restaurant generating another 15 and, between the developers and third-party businesses, the property could create employment for 100 persons “by the time we’re done”.

“But until we resolve all these problems we’re hamstrung in what we can do,” he told Tribune Business. “Everything is in a holding pattern right now, and it depends on whether we get the go-ahead to do what we want to do.”

If the developers were able to dredge the creek and add bonefishing, Mr Blakeley said their investment could ultimately be “$10 million, $15 million, $20 million”.