A proposed new five-star beach hotel and spa resort in Warwick will rise nine storeys and offer guests spectacular views across the South Shore.

The landmark 220-suite hotel will not stand alone but be accompanied by some five- or six-storey buildings offering luxury fractional and residential apartments and a number of seafront luxury villas.

A plot of land that houses a derelict former beach bar and a number of old buildings has been earmarked for the Grand Atlantic Resort and Residences project, which has been put forward by Atlantic Development.

One of the hurdles facing the proposal is the mixture of green space and open space that would need to be used in order to allow all the new luxury villas, fractional vacation ownership apartments and what is termed as “luxury affordable one- two- and three-bedroom condominiums” to be built.

Without all the elements, Atlantic Development does not feel the project would be viable. In its Planning application it has indicated that some of the 57 residential units would need to be built on parts of the site that technically fall under tourism zoning.

It is hoped that this difficulty may be by-passed if a special development order is granted. “Some (of the residential units) will be on open space and green space as well as woodland and open space. These units are an essential component to the project and cannot be sited elsewhere on the site due to the site size and physical constraints,” states the developer’s Planning brief.

“Some must also be sited on lands zoned ‘tourism’. Given that the planning statement may not offer the possibility of fully considering the merits of this project and the trade-off that will have to occur to bring this project to Bermuda, as well as the need of obtaining approvals in the most expedient manner, we are concurrently with this application seeking approval via a special development order.”

The project includes a community swimming pool and a jogging trail, as well as new staff accommodation.

It has been earmarked for a 13.1 acre plot of land south of South Road that is bordered on its eastern side by Astwood Walk and the Warwick gas station and stretches westward just beyond the bend in South Road where it junctions with Dunscombe Road.

In the plans the hotel will rise nine storeys with 220 rooms offering a maximum total of 706 beds, including a six-bedroom penthouse suite. There will also be two five-storey high blocks of 20 two-bedroom fractional ownership apartments, five three-bedroom villas, 20 three-bedroom units in two-storey blocks and 22 two-bedroom and ten one-bedroom units.

Also foreseen is a twin two-storey retail area on an approach road to the hotel and resort. The hotel is to feature terrace and dining room restaurants, a beach bar and grill terrace, lounge bar, ballroom, swimming pool, spa, fitness centre and roof top tennis courts.

At present the site is occupied by a number of derelict buildings which will be demolished to make way for the new resort if it is granted approval.