IN BARBADOS, the respected British hotelier and developer Mike Pemberton is tending 5,000 palms in an inland nursery.
All Quotes Taken From the Property Times (Thanks to the Source)
Super-villas that will cater for pickiest of millionaires
All those Barbadians who think that Michael Pemberton does not care about the trees he slaughtered “think again.” He has 5000 palms in a plant nursery somewhere waiting to transform the landscape of that property formerly known as Paradise and then all will be forgotten and he will be forgiven. A government Senator explained, “trees cannot stand in the way of a mega development, Barbadians need to get over it!”
After three decades on the island, and with the prestigious Glitter Bay and Royal Westmoreland projects behind him, Pemberton considers no detail too lowly in ensuring the transformation of the last, great site on the bewitching Platinum Coast.
Despite the swipes taken by Barbadians in recent weeks at the filthy rich British businessman, he has done what the government of Barbados has been encouraging other foreign investors to do — put his money where is mouth is by investing in several properties in Barbados since his arrival on the island. The luxurious hotel properties of Glitter Bay and Royal Westmoreland are examples of his handy work. The man has not been idle! To those Barbadians who would criticize Pemberton, BU ask how do we attract the foreign investment which people like him bring to the party?
Sam Mahon, of Bajan Property Services, says: “Ninety per cent of this business comes from British buyers, or people exiled there for tax reasons: a lot of our bread is coming from the City. But Americans need the comfort of a brand like Four Seasons and we expect to see more of them now.”
The Clarewater Bay development is just another opportunity for Michael Pemberton to display his business savvy. Although British investors are comfortable investing in “Little England” the Americans have been sluggish to do the same. Michael Pemberton is seeking to address the problem by branding the investment with the well ensconced American Four Seasons brand.
Unlike the Nation newspaper, BU was not “puppeteered” into doing a PR job for Pemberton. We have simply put another spin on the whole affair. The question alluded to in our article remains; if we don’t encourage foreign investors like Pemberton to invest in Barbados what are the alternatives? In the case of Pemberton, he has demonstrated a commitment to investing in Barbados over several years.
We could not conclude this article unless we asked Pemberton the big questions. Is it a reasonable expectation that by awarding the contract to build Clearwater to the Chinese that cheap Chinese labour was part of the deal? If the answer is yes, who in government gave their blessings? Was it the Prime Minister in his capacity as Minister in charge of Immigration? Is your reason for going public to send a message to that someone that time is money and you have no time for the silly games that politicians play?
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Has Michael Pemberton Issued A Warning To The Government Of Barbados?
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