New legislation paving the way for a luxury hotel resort to be built in St George has been welcomed by the town’s leaders.

The St George’s Resort Act 2015 was tabled in the early hours of Saturday morning by Shawn Crockwell, the Minister for Transport and Tourism Development.

MP Kenneth Bascome told The Royal Gazette he was confident the development would now reach fruition, while Mayor Quinell Francis said the tabling of the Act was “good news” for the whole community. “We are on our way to creating something that the town but also the country can be proud of,” said Mr Bascome.

“At this stage on behalf of the community of St George I want to thank the Minister of Tourism and his team for bringing the project this far.

“What happened with this site previously was never really as concrete as this and I believe these folks will take it to fruition and the Minister has done all his due diligence.

“I want to thank them for showing faith in St George. We will welcome them with open arms.

“I believe this is the real thing, and it is very much needed because the property is dilapidated and looks like a jungle.”

Ms Francis added: “I’m pleased to see the Act tabled in the House and hope that this resort will now come to fruition. It’s good for St George but it’s also good for the country and will bring in a wide range of visitors to the Island.

“We are still in the early stages. When we start to see progress on the ground we will be even more excited. It’s good news.”

The Act, which is expected to be debated later this summer, authorises the leasing of the land to the developer and grants rights, leases, concessions, permissions and the approvals necessary to develop the resort on land lying to the south side of St Catherine’s point.

Work on the new hotel, which will be managed by the St Regis, Starwood Hotels & Resorts brand, is expected to start before the end of the year.

“I am very excited to announce that the Bermuda Government and the Desarrollos Hotelco Group are now poised to finalise the Master Development Agreement for the St George’s Tourism Development Site,” said Mr Crockwell. “This is a group that is more than capable of developing a world-class, full-service resort and we are very excited to have them as our partner.

“Today marks a significant milestone for this development, it is indeed very good news and comes as a result of numerous meetings that the Government, the Bermuda Tourism Authority and Desarrollos have had with both internal and external stakeholders, to negotiate terms and to prepare the relevant documentation.

“This is a $120 million dollar development and very significant to the revitalisation of our tourism industry, the St George’s community and Bermuda as a whole.”

The proposed development includes 122 hotel rooms, a casino — subject to an application to the Gaming Commission — and the renovation of the 18-hole Robert Trent Jones designed St George’s Golf Course.

“There are also plans to build: 90 condominiums, six estate residences, a spa and fitness centre, meeting rooms, swimming pools, a pool bar and grill, a speciality restaurant and a beach restaurant and bar. Mr Crockwell said: “This development has the potential to spur other developments and provide exponential employment opportunities. It is crucial to Bermuda and it will have a positive impact on our Island.

“This Government made a promise to develop a resort in the east end and it is a promise that we are keeping.”

“I must applaud the hard work and commitment of the Ministry of Tourism Development and Transport, the BTA and our consultant on this project, the Hemisphere Group, a Miami-based international real estate advisory firm. Reaching this point is a testament of our focus and efforts to create an inviting business environment to attract inward investment and private sector jobs for Bermudians.

“This is a very important piece of legislation and I encourage the Opposition to support it as it is a tremendous benefit for all of Bermuda.”