PortStCharles_web

AT A GLANCE PORT ST. CHARLES MARINA WHAT: Luxury Caribbean marina resort development WHERE: NW coast of Barbados, West Indies WEBSITE: www.portstcharles.com PORT ST. CHARLES MARINA consisting of two adjacent plots. The men were boaters, they liked fishing, and their dream was to build a resort property on the water with easy access from one’s home, right onto one’s boat, and out to the Caribbean Sea. The group discussed the feasibility of creat- ing a marina, and hired architect Ian Morrison to draft the details. The project took many years of working with the Barbadian govern- ment to achieve planning permission, which included a port of entry to the country. At the time, any boater who wanted to travel, say to the Grenadines, needed to go to Bridgetown to clear immigration and customs. General Manager of Port St. Charles, Stephen Austin, explains, “The government and the de- velopers finally agreed to partner in the con- struction of a law enforcement building at Port St. Charles, on the north coast of the island, which would be a base for Customs and Immi- gration, the Coast Guard, and a site to enhance security on Barbados. That’s how it all started.” Because Port St. Charles was constructing homes to sell to people outside the country, it was bringing foreign exchange into Barbados. The government saw the benefits, and began offering concessions to encourage both the development and sales. Anyone who purchased property in Port St. Charles could bring a boat into Barbados, duty free, a savings of 40–60 percent, depending on the type of boat.They could also bring in their first furniture package for their home, duty free. “Construction started in 1996,” says Austin,“and the plan was not just to build the entire product out and then sell it, but to sell as we went along –in phases.The first phase,we presented plans to interested people, and as soon as we got 60 per- cent of the sales going we started to build.That allowed potential owners to paymoney down on the property, and select certain changes–to tiles, cupboards, countertops.As we went on,we got better at our build, and changed the design ac- cording to what people wanted.”