3 months ago
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Developers plan to construct a 420-room luxury resort in Paradise Park, Westmoreland, a coastal community known for its beaches and Taino heritage.
Spanning 1,120 acres, the site will accommodate suspended overwater villas, a golf course and horseback riding trails.
“The Paradise Park development is divided into five main land use programmes,” said the EIA, or environmental impact assessment report, prepared by CL Environmental Consultants Limited on behalf of Paradise Park Development Corporation Limited, PPDC, based on East Street in Kingston.
PPDC was incorporated in Jamaica in November 2023, but has an overseas director, Finsbury Corporate Services Limited, based in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. Finsbury operates as a financial institution and trust services provider, financing real estate developments on behalf of itself or clients.
The EIA did not disclose the estimated cost of development.
The project will include a 120-room resort, a 200-room hotel, and 100 private villas, some “suspended over mangroves or coastal waters”, the report noted. Additionally, it will feature an 18-hole golf course, horseback riding trails, a waterfront spa, and a rum-bottling facility.
The resort development aims to balance luxury and ecological preservation. The developers have committed to maintaining wild ecological zones, with fewer than two per cent of surveyed residents opposing the project, mainly due to concerns about wetland disruption and fishing access.
“The vast majority see this as a gateway to jobs and tourism growth,” the report noted.
Once a Taino settlement and later an 18th-century sugar estate, Paradise Park holds archaeological significance, including ancient pottery and wharves. Though the site is not designated as a protected area, past studies have identified it as ecologically sensitive, recommending future protections.
“The land use at Paradise Park combines historical agricultural practices, including cattle farming and timber harvesting, with ongoing modern activities such as dairy farming, poultry farming, and tourism, including a park area for recreational activities. Archaeological sites and historical buildings also highlight the rich cultural heritage of the area,” stated the EIA report.
Paradise Park has changed ownership multiple times since 1754, transitioning from a sugar and rum estate under William Dorrill to a diversified agricultural property under John Wedderburn in 1798, the report stated. By the early 20th century, it expanded to 3,000 acres, primarily used for cattle and wood supply under S.M. Haughton James.
In 1952, the Clarke family acquired the estate, transforming it into a country club and resort, adding a nine-hole golf course, a dyewood factory, and a jungle attraction, solidifying its transition into a leisure-focused destination, the report stated.
English (US) ·