MARIGOT--The Collectivité announced Tuesday it has given contractors working on the new restaurants between Pedros and Kon Tiki on Orient Beach extra time to complete the finishing touches before the project can be officially handed over.
The new date for completion of the work is now January 13, but it is expected that tenants will be able to take possession of their units before that date, to install materials, equipment and to obtain water and electricity connections.
The decision was made by the Executive Council following a site inspection on Tuesday, December 22, with elected officials and representatives from supervising contractor Semsamar and sub-contractors where some technical points were identified as needing to be addressed.
The Collectivité has notified by mail the successful applicants who received a favourable opinion from the Executive Council to be accorded a temporary occupation permit (AOT) in the public domain on the said parcel. They will be assigned a space to operate their businesses.
Operators of the restaurants furthermore will be asked to sign an agreement with the Collectivité, setting out the rules for use of the public domain. Boutique holders and others operating elsewhere on parcel AW34 will be notified of the Executive Council decisions no later than early January. They too will be required to sign the same agreement.
Applicants who have received a negative answer will also be notified of the decision by mail.
The Collectivité noted that it received more than 80 applications for the new units (all types) but could not satisfy all candidates as priority was given to operators who were running their former restaurants on the beach prior to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo.
Taking advantage of the damage wrought by the hurricane, the Collectivité decided to completely remove all the old restaurants and build new modern units on parcel AW34 to upgrade this section of Orient Beach and in June 2015 launched the 3.8-million-euro rebuilding programme.
The colourful structures have enhanced the appeal of Orient Beach, one of the most popular beaches in the Caribbean for tourists.
