Public invited to Port Launay hotel meeting |12 December 2005

The meeting to discuss concerns raised by the Ephelia Resort project takes place tomorrow at 5 p.m. in the Port Glaud District Administration building, ahead of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) of the development.

The agreement for the Ephelia Resort, scheduled to be completed by October 2007, was signed in May this year by the Ministry of Land Use and Habitat, Seychelles Investment Bureau and the developers, Port-Launay Resorts Ltd, owned by Le Refuge Du Pecheur.

Majority shares in Le Refuge Du Pecheur, the holding company of Lemuria Resort on Praslin, are controlled by Corvina, with the Mauritian company Constance and Le Gaiete holding a 24 percent stake. The remaining shares are held by foreign small investors.

At the time of $100 million, 70-year lease signing, representatives of the developers said that the resort would comprise around 200 suites, have 600 staff and is hoped to welcome 14,000 clients per year.

Stretching from the beach at Port Launay, south to the northern beach of Port Glaud, the hotel will be home to seven main swimming pools, a "wellness sanctuary", four restaurants, four bars, tennis courts, squash courts, mini golf, a conference centre, cinema and dive centre.