The construction of the billion kuna project should begin later this year.
Later this year, the construction of a five-star hotel and about a hundred villas and residences will start on an 12.5 hectare plot near Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. The complex will be part of the “Four Seasons” hotel chain, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on April 21, 2017.
The news was confirmed during a visit of Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli to London, where he met with representatives of Four Seasons.
“The tourist complex at the Briženica Bay, not far from the Stari Grad on Hvar, with a five-star hotel and about one hundred villas and residencies and with the total value of about one billion kuna, will be built on 12.5 hectares of land. Over the past year, since we started this major investment project, we have worked very hard together with local authorities and we have agreed on everything. We are now working on documents and funds to be ready so that we could open this tourist complex in 2019. It took us a little while to prepare the project, but we are not dissatisfied with the work of the Croatian administration because everything takes time,” said Dennis Wijsmuller, COO of Arqaam Capital, an investment bank from Dubai, who discussed the project with Minister Cappelli in London.
The investors’ representative expressed his satisfaction that the luxury resort would be led by the prestigious Four Seasons hotel chain, which will entered Croatia for the first time with this project.
“The fact that such a prestigious hotel chain is coming to Hvar confirms the quality level of our tourism and our desire to develop it in the direction of tourist projects for more demanding guests. We are ready to help investors in everything in order to facilitate the project”, said Cappelli.
That the project was almost ready for implementation was also confirmed by Bojan Batinić, whose agency is working on providing necessary documents for the investors. He said that the public consultation period for the environmental impact study had just been completed, which will be followed by the issuance of a location permit and a building permit.
“Although the construction of the Stari Grad bypass road was mentioned as a prerequisite for obtaining a permit, the location permit can be obtained even without it. However, the bypass road is very important. It would be about 3.4 kilometres long, and it is partly within the jurisdiction of the local government and partly within the jurisdiction of the County Roads Administration. There is an agreement between all three parties to resolve this issue in the best way possible,” said Batinić.
The resort at Briženica was last year included on the list of strategically important projects for Croatia, and it should eventually employ 322 workers, according to investors.
“Croatia is one of the top destinations for tourism in Europe, and Hvar is famous for its cultural heritage and beauty. Therefore, it was not difficult for us to decide to expand to Croatia. At each new destination where we come we look for the best locations and best partners, and this project on Hvar is no different,” said Four Seasons representatives. The chain has 105 hotels in 43 countries worldwide.
In addition to a five-star hotel, the resort will include a hundred gorgeous villas and residences with three to five rooms, with all the accompanying amenities. There will be outdoor and indoor swimming pools, restaurants, bars, meeting halls, and a port for seaplanes. In any case, the construction should begin by the end of 2017, and reservations will be done through the central reservation system of the world-class hotel chain known for its luxury and high-quality service.
“We have reached an agreement with investors and they accept the construction of the Stari Grad bypass road, which will cost about four million euros. The town was not able to finance it itself, and investors will not have to pay the utility fee. They bought 17 hectares of land which is now connected just with a fire road, so the construction of the bypass road is of the utmost importance for the area,” said Vinko Maroević, the municipal mayor of Stari Grad.
