Peace, Love and Happiness (PLH) developers have been temporarily barred from resuming work on the controversial luxury resort scheme in Barbuda.
An interim injunction halting construction at the sprawling site was given by the High Court on October 1. It followed action brought by the Barbuda Council in July.
Developers had hoped to be able to restart yesterday when the court reconvened.
But the edict was extended on Tuesday pending an official judgement which Barbuda’s MP Trevor Walker says is expected within the next week.
It’s been deemed a minor victory for campaigners fighting the project set to feature hundreds of deluxe homes and a golf course.
Walker told Observer this morning that the extension had been taken as a positive sign.
However a PLH spokesman said the court had clarified that the injunction only applied to land that the Barbuda Council is party to. He said 80 percent of the land being developed falls outside the injunction’s terms. The bulk of the land he said is owned by six separate leasers who he would not identify.
And while PLH has not yet reached the stage of constructing homes, it is for now able to continue earth works, landscaping and environmental remediation.
The development has been steeped in controversy from the outset. While some claim it will bring a vital economic shot in the arm to Barbuda, others decry its environmental impact on the fragile area, protected under a global treaty.
Gemma Handy Observer Radio Newstalk 911