Business owners at Marginal Wharf, St. David's were left feeling frustrated at the confusion over the location of 98 homes for the lottery winners of Bermuda Homes for People.

Works and Housing Minister Sen. David Burch said last week that the $80 million project may be relocated as industrial tenants threatened not to budge.

"We may begin to build the homes on land that previously had homes on them while the challenges with the current tenants at Marginal Wharf are being addressed," Sen. Burch said.

But Amber Fisheries owner James Anthony Jr. said he felt only frustration at hearing the Minister's announcement after spending $70,000 to relocate his business to a place he later found out was off limits.

"They came to us with an eviction notice and they gave us land over by Number One Gate," Mr. Anthony Jr. said. "We spent $70,000 on two, 40-foot long refrigerated containers, a fence to put around them and a 40 by 40 foot roof for in between the containers. Then the airport said they did not know why they put us there because it was the airport's property and it was their plan to put an International Airport there one day."

"We spent all that money and now they say we might not have to move," he said. "It's up in the air. It's frustrating."

International Shade All owner Edward Welch said he did not think Government had handled the lottery homes project reasonably well.

"They gave us a couple of deadlines and said they would have facilities for us to move into but I am still waiting," he said.

Mr. Welch has not relocated from Marginal Wharf and said he does not want to go.

"I would prefer to stay in an industrial area. It's easy to get to and this should remain for industry," Mr. Welch said.

On Thursday, Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC) chairman Geoffrey Elliott referred comment to Sen. Burch.

"I know he was up there the other day but I have not spoken to him about that," Mr. Elliott said of the relocation plan.

On December 15, Lt. Col. Burch promised around 70 Harbourside Village lottery winners they would get the homes they won on June 3, when 98 people won the chance to buy a home for $199,000 at Harbourside Village. However, since Bermuda Homes for People (BHP) collapsed on September 8, there had been doubts whether Government quango, BLDC would take on the project.

And in a written response to a question put to Sen. Burch in the Senate last week, it was revealed that former BHP project manager John Gaston received a single payment of $46,745.58 for consulting the Ministry from January to March 2005.