Hotel says sewage plant meets standards amid residents’ concerns

Royalton Hotels and Resorts moved on Tuesday to allay public concern about the construction of a new sewage treatment plant for the new Royalton Vessence Barbados resort at Holetown, insisting that the facility will meet stringent environmental and regulatory standards.

“If we work expeditiously, in about ten days this should be over,” executive vice-president Daniel Diaz told reporters at a media briefing on the upcoming works along Highway 1. The works include traffic management measures to facilitate the laying of new utility lines for the hotel development.

Diaz stressed that the project has not strayed from previously approved plans.

“All construction is done as per the approved plans,” he said.

“At the end of 2020 there was a town hall meeting where all of the projects were presented. That was a public event, and there has been no change to the plans.”

While acknowledging that some suggestions had been made to relocate the treatment plant, Diaz said it was necessary to upgrade infrastructure in an area that has seen limited development over the past two decades.

“For us it’s important to come with a state-of-the-art facility that is modern, enclosed, and includes odour control and noise reduction systems,” he explained.

Diaz also highlighted the stringency of Barbados’ environmental regulations, noting that the island’s standards exceed those in much of the region.

He said: “The standards under Barbadian legislation are probably the most demanding in the entire region. I can say that confidently because we operate treatment plants in eight islands.

The level of technical proficiency required here is well above regular standards.

“The purpose of this plant is to reduce the environmental impact, not to increase it.”

Dr William Duguid, senior minister for coordinating infrastructural projects, also addressed reporters, placing the development within the broader context of wastewater management on the West Coast, which unlike Bridgetown and the South Coast lacks a sewage system.

“The West Coast is not like the South Coast,” Dr Duguid said.

“The South Coast has a central sewage treatment plant serving about 4 000 customers. The West Coast, on the other hand, doesnot have a central sewer system.”

He noted that several properties along the West Coast – from Glitter Bay and Sandy Lane to Mullins and St Peter’s Bay – already operate their own treatment plants.

“A treatment plant for 200 rooms is not the same as a treatment plant for 4 000,” Dr Duguid explained. “All of these are well managed, well regulated, and there have been no issues. I have no doubt this one will be even better because it will be stateof-the-art, up-to-date, and well regulated by the Environmental Protection Department.”

Questions were also raised about the timing of the works, which are taking place during the height of the winter tourist season – a period when disruptions could affect nearby hospitality businesses.
Diaz acknowledged the challenges but said the scale of the project made timing unavoidable.

He said: “It’s a large resort and it takes time. If I could do it in nine months, I would love to, but you have the three months of the high season. We’re now at the end of that period and we’re trying to do the work as fast as possible, always in compliance with regulatory bodies.”

Royalton’s technical team also indicated that noise and dust impacts have already been assessed and are expected to remain minimal over the next few weeks as construction progresses.

(SB)