New plans to breathe life into a shuttered tourism property in Devonshire — including construction of a hotel and amenities — have been submitted to the Department of Planning.

The planning application by Ariel Sands Ltd proposed work to turn the site into “one of Bermuda’s leading resorts”.

The new plans put forward a 33-room, four-storey hotel as well as 21 villas and 30 condominiums, which would be privately owned but used as part of the hotel’s inventory.

Documents included with the application stated that much of the proposed development would be similar to what previously stood on the property and “somewhat less dense” than plans approved earlier.

The plans show the hotel building near the shoreline next to the property’s eastern boundary. The developers stated that the location would hide the hotel building from South Road.

All of the hotel rooms are on the southern-facing side of the building, offering ocean views for each of the units.

The plans also show six single-storey villas and 15 two-storey villas spread across the southern half of the property.

Documents said: “The proposed villa arrangements have been carefully sited within the topography to maximise the coastal views, maintain privacy through vegetation and to give sufficient open space and amenity for the enjoyment of the guests.

“The villas are surrounded by parapet walls with pitched roofs.

“Exterior finishes will be similar to the hotel and condo and implemented with a contemporary interpretation of the Bermuda vernacular.”

The property’s condos would be contained in a proposed five-storey building in the northwestern portion of the site.

While the developer said the building would be the most visible of the proposed structures, it was similar in location and size to a previously-approved condominium building proposed for the site.

The application said: “The building condominium height is at the full discretion of the board.

“This change in the visual field from Dill Lane will be dramatic but some level of change is highly predictable given the long-term dedication of this site to tourism uses.

“Thoughtfully planted landscaping will be implemented to diminish this impact.”

The project would also include the creation of recreational areas, pools, 47 parking bays across the site and a wastewater treatment plant in the north-eastern corner.

The plans state that because the site was limited to 84 total units, the project would not be burdensome for the area’s roads and amenities.

Ariel Sands first opened as a hotel and cottage colony in 1954 and was owned and operated by the Dill family, including Michael Douglas, Hollywood actor and son of Diana Dill, a Bermudian.

The property closed its doors in 2008 for a planned redevelopment but the project struggled to find investors at that time.

The site was cleared in 2014 with the intention to redevelop it as an $85 million luxury resort consisting of 85 hotel keys in 33 cottages and six suites.

A scaled-down version of the proposal was approved by the Department of Planning in 2015 but the project did not move forward.

Mr Douglas announced in 2021 that he had partnered with JTRE Holding, a Slovakian real estate developer, to establish a new five-star 131-key hotel, to be managed by Kempinski Hotels at the site.

Plans for the $155 million project were approved with construction hoped to be completed by late 2025 but the redevelopment failed to materialise.