Residents voice concerns over hotel development |17 December 2005

In a meeting held at the Port Glaud district administration, residents of the district and staff from a number of environmental agencies questioned the hotel developers about public access to the popular Port Launay beach, environmental protection measures being put in place and employment opportunities the development will create for local people.

Jean Wee-Ling of the Corvina group – which is the majority share holder in the Ephelia Resort parent company, Le Refuge Du Pecheur – led the response from the developers, who were pressed by the residents regarding their track record with their other Seychelles hotel, Lemuria on Praslin.

Residents’ concerns centred on the problems of restricted access to Anse Georgette and Petite Anse Kerlan, now that the beaches can only be reached through the Lemuria grounds, and a lack of employment of Seychellois workers at the Praslin five-star hotel.

Local people also expressed their fears that the internationally recognised marsh area at Port Launay and the coral reef in the bay could be damaged by the resort’s construction.

The developers sought to allay fears about any possible environmental degradation by stressing the fact that the resort’s environmental credentials would be one of its selling points.

They also said that beach access would be guaranteed.
The agreement for the Ephelia Resort, scheduled to be completed by October 2007, was signed in May this year.

According to the developers the resort is annually expected to welcome around 15,000 guests, or over 10 percent of Seychelles’ current annual visitor arrivals total, and generate around $45million, of which $20million will be spent on local goods, services and taxes.

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.