Sugar Point deal may turn sour

Article by GERALYN EDWARD

THE LAVISH $500 MILLION Sugar Point Cruise Pier facility that was set to transform the Harbour Road to Bridgetown seafront stretch has fallen flat and may never get off the ground.

News of this was broken by Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy who indicated that the proposed public/private sector project might never see the light of day given the island’s fragile economic position.

Speaking yesterday during a wide-ranging Press conference at the Ministry of Tourism’ Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre headquarters, Sealy said: “Sugar Point is a huge project. It is an expensive project. It is a good project and one that we would love to see take place but the question of Sugar Point would have to one of timing and affordability.”

The ambitious project, which was the brainchild of Barbadian investor Gline Bannister, would have involved the creation of 20 acres of reclaimed land off Trevor’s Way, construction of three cruise piers, 215 000 square feet of retail, food and an entertainment space with the possibility of a hotel development to complement the facility.

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