Developer Gilbert Lopes has been granted final planning approval to build a mammoth 82-room hotel, 40 condominiums and two swimming pools at the site of the former Loughlands Guest House in Paget.

The Development Applications Board (DAB) approved Mr. Lopes to start construction at No. 79 South Road once a building permit is issued.

Parking spaces for 55 cars and 55 cycles must be provided at the site, it said, but it did not specify whether a traffic-flow survey had been completed in order to assess the impact of 110 vehicles on the area near a busy western traffic junction.

The DAB did say four-foot protective fences had to be erected around the lands with conservation zoning. ?For the avoidance of doubt, there shall be no storage of construction materials or equipment on the conservation area during the course of building operations,? it said.

And it said in order to prevent traffic collisions the new road cannot be placed on a corner, but must be placed where drivers coming out of the Loughlands estate will to be able to see a minimum of 90 feet down the road.

The hotel will consist of 82 one-bedroom units, Mr. Lopes said in July, and would probably be called Loughlands as it was being built on the 9.2 acre Loughlands estate.

This summer Mr. Lopes told he would build the hotel before the condos.

The hotel was expected to cost between $8 and $10 million to build, however there was no price on the condos.

The new Loughlands hotel will consist of three, four-storey buildings and one two-storey building, bringing the total square footage of hotel to 40,000.

And because of the affordable housing crisis, Mr. Lopes indicated he would build 40 homes for new first-time home owners.

Neither Mr. Lopes nor architect Michael Emery were available for comment yesterday.