Browse > Home / Latest News / Controversial Cupecoy Yacht club to be finished by April 2009

Controversial Cupecoy Yacht club to be finished by April 2009

April 29, 2008

Cupecoy Yacht Club St. Maarten

The gated community has been the subject of much controversy over the past couple of years, but in spite of the protests and discussions and environmental concerns, the power of concrete and capital once more have won the “battle”.

The developer of the project, Orient Express Hotels Ltd. owns some 38 other hotels elsewhere including The Villas in La Savanne, Saint Martin. Controversy arose in 2005 because environmental groups expressed serious concerns about the preservation of the Simpson Bay Lagoon; Government expressed at the time that construction would have to stay 15 meters away from the coastline and ten meters from the Lagoon however artist impressions of the Cupecoy Yacht Club shows that the developers did not comply.

A second incident occurred when a historic slave wall was on the verge of being demolished at the start of the construction when public outcry over this halted the construction and the developer was “ordered” to alter its construction plans.

A third incident came to light when the developer requested to build part of its development on the former 500 year old road and finally received approval to, “at developer’s expense”, reroute the road to accommodate the construction.

Several voices have now raised the question why big developers who overburden the Island’s infrastructure and seem to throw money at commissioners, can do what they want. There is truth to the fact that approximately 2,400 units are or will be under construction within the year and the concern is raised about such a development boom leading to an additional 5-6000 cars to an already overburdened road infrastructure without even looking at the stress on water and electricity production.

The almighty dollar, well it is not that mighty anymore, seems to win the game most of the time, however the battle over building up to the waterlines on both sides (Ocean and Lagoon) may become a hot issue that even Government may loose its shirt over.

Written by admin · Filed Under Latest News 

Comments

2 Responses to “Controversial Cupecoy Yacht club to be finished by April 2009”

  1. runmkm on May 15th, 2008 4:48 pm

    My wife and I bought into the Cupecoy Yacht Club back in May 2005. At that time we didn’t know if the project would get built, or if we would ever see our money again. So, from our point of view, we are glad that the project is nearing completion.

    I understand the difficulties that the island battles, every growing car traffic, and projects that destroy the essense that makes St Martin a beautiful and splendid island.

    Having said that, progress is something that needs to be managed, not stopped. It really is up to the people of St. Martin to reign in some of these brutish projects of concrete.

    The Yacht Club seems to be one of the few projects that is striving to reflect a caribbean influence. The stye is Mediterranean and relatively low rise. I hope that over time it will become a draw for islanders and not something that is cursed.

    Thanks for giving me the forum to speak.

    Marc Morriss
    Studio City, CA

  2. admin on May 15th, 2008 5:15 pm

    Hi Marc,
    Thanks for your comment. It is not so much that people on St. Maarten are against the project, just the way our government turns a blind eye on the “managed” development. This is what seems to remain the problem since “environmentalists and action groups do stay on top of these controversial developers”.

    So believe me that you are very welcome on a friendly island but it also must remain manageble, but those in charge seem to forget that an infrastructure has a carrying capacity that is by far exceeded.

    And yes the design is by far the best I have seen in 20 island years and I must say that, first hand seeing the development of the project, it will reflect a Caribbean-Mediterranean style. So you choice as to buying into the project before it even was erected has been a good choice and the project will be finished by April 2009.

    So don’t get us wrong, we love quality work and quality tourism so by all means we are the first ones to greet you and your wife at the airport when the Yacht Club is finished to take possession of your rights…. I only hope it will not take me 90 minutes to drive 4.9 miles to welcome you.

    Kind Regards,

    Admin

Got something to say?

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Search blog stories: