Developers Southlands Ltd. have pledged the preservation of the natural wonders and unique heritage of the 37-acre South Shore resort.

Craig Christensen, one of three partners, said Jumeriah Southlands would respect the history and beauty of the area, and that measures were already in place to restore the estate to its former grandeur. He said developers wanted to reassure environmental campaigners that the folly-esque quarry gardens, created by James Morgan on his purchase of the estate in 1910, will be preserved.

Mr. Christensen said the Main House will be renovated into a museum detailing the history of Southlands, with a possible cafe. The estate's ghostly banyan trees and royal palms will also be retained.

Southlands was a popular attraction for days out due to its botanical gardens-like setting. People marvelled at the quarry gardens and the species of plants and trees cultivated over the decades. However, the estate fell into neglect during the 1970s.

According to Southlands Ltd., only 16 percent of the 37-acre estate will be built upon during construction of the 497-bed resort. The land has 42 percent tourism zoning and a number of woodland reserve and open space areas.

In a statement, the company said owners Brian Duperreault, Craig Christensen and Nelson Hunt "have the best interest for Southlands and Bermuda, with the vision of building exceptional tourist accommodations married with the lush beauty of the property. They understand the history and value of the site and will be returning the main house and quarry gardens to their former glory."

Mr. Christensen told The Royal Gazette that a greenhouse is already nurturing plants on site to be used in the landscaping of the grounds. "We've got an extensive plant nursery where work has been going on for over a year now, in order to propagate a lot of decorative plants and trees," he said.

He added: "I think people misunderstand that we obviously want to save the Banyan trees, which are absolutely beautiful.

"The royal palms are also a central feature and will stay right where they are. We've designed the buildings around them. We will roll out even more interesting plans very shortly but we are starting to eliminate the invasive species on the property, which is a huge undertaking, particularly on the western side.

"We've had a horticulturalist with us, Malcolm Griffiths, who has been working with us for the past 18 months, and in the quarry gardens we've cleared the majority of invasive species, which include Mexican Pepper and Indian Laurel. There's still some work to do because they were completely overgrown, but now we can walk through those particular gardens."

Mr. Christensen said that although some of the estate cottages may be pulled down, the mausoleum will remain intact.

"The mausoleum will be a feature on the property and we intend to restore it back to the way it was when James Morgan (the estate's former owner) was buried there in 1932.

"If anyone has any pictures or articles on Southlands, particularly the quarry gardens, we would appreciate copies of those so we can see how things were done back over the years, particularly in the beautiful quarries."

The developers envisage two main hotel buildings, one overlooking the South Shore and the other further back, north of South Road, situated in front of the Main House.

"Most of the main resort will be near the beach but the core hotel will be in front of the Main House, so the back part of the property with all its fabulous features will be preserved," said Mr. Christensen. "In the quarry gardens all of that area will be preserved woodland."

He added that the resort's 311 suites will be built in "a Bermudian style".

"The Main House will stay intact and become a museum," he said. "Previously it wasn't in the best condition but we've done some maintenance in order to start to bring it back.

"The final decision on a cafe hasn't been decided yet but one of the things which has been bandied around is perhaps a wine-tasting cafe, so that people can enjoy and feel the history of Southlands.

"The idea is to create the Main House as a centrepiece for all the history of Southlands. We've been collecting articles and memorabilia so we can showcase that, as well as a stone quarry museum."

Regarding public access to the estate, Mr. Christensen said: "What we would want to do is to take specific groups on a tour, so the public can see it this way. The answer is 'yes', but we can't just have a free-for-all. People could take a tour in order to see the grounds, but the museum and cafe would be open to the general public."