Townhall meetings commence over new port project

Residents in the Villa and Point communities are being encouraged to attend the series of townhall meetings regarding the Upland Development project.

The second consultation is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 5:30 at the Villa Community Center.

Monday was the first meeting where Villa and Point residents were reassured once again that they will receive priority when the project is completed to ply their trade.

They were also warned of the ongoing noise pollution in the coming weeks as the project began yesterday as well with the drilling of the piles which would result in high vibrations in the surrounding areas.

“This is a general call and invitation for the public to come. You don’t want to miss it. If you have any questions, any concerns. This is just the initial series of consultations. We will be moving from community to community,” Elijah James, Marketing and Communications Manager of Antigua Cruise Ports urged.

The project will see the erection of a state-of-the-art cruise terminal along with other entertainment facilities.

It is anticipated that the new cruise terminal, which will sit on approximately four acres, will significantly enhance the guest experience for thousands of homeporting and transit passengers while creating a positive ripple effect across the twin island nation.

It will boast a wide array of amenities including food and beverage, retail shops, a bazaar, a park with an ice cream parlour and the highly touted Antigua Day Club, complete with a swimming pool, restaurant, and bar.

The terminal is expected to be completed by October of this year, while the other amenities have a completion date of 2026.

Antigua Cruise Port (ACP), operated by Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world’s largest cruise port operator, officially commenced construction of a new state-of-the-art cruise terminal at its fifth berth on February 10.