A $185 million eco-tourism resort project is back on the drawing board for Musselroe Bay with a development application expected to be submitted before Christmas.
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CBM Sustainable Design Pty Ltd announced yesterday that the project was back up and running and included the construction of an international standard golf course, a five-star resort, with 100 suites and 80 apartments, a visitor and interpretation centre, an air-strip and terminal for a 40 seater plane, a guest house, holiday units and waterbird viewing platforms.
The project was initially announced in 2006.
It received approval from the Dorset Council, however the developer ran into financial difficulties in 2008 and the project collapsed.
CBM Sustainable Group chief executive John Dingemanse said a Melbourne based developer, from China, brought the property last October and was working with his company and the Dorset Council to develop it.
``We are confident that the project will proceed,'' Mr Dingemanse said.
``It has been approved before so we are very familiar with the process and tourism has deteriorated significantly since, especially in the North-East, so it is needed,'' Mr Dingemanse said.
Dorset Mayor Barry Jarvis supported the project.
``It was considered favourably last time and I think the community were on board,'' Cr Jarvis said.
He said it would create work for people in the area and would open up a part of the world many didn't normally see.
``Both Musselroe Bay and Little Musselroe Bay are pretty areas,'' he said.
``They tick a lot of boxes - so they need to be discovered.''
Mr Dingemanse expected the development application to be submitted to the Dorset Council before Christmas.
If approved, construction will start next May and take five years.
The construction phase is expected to create 960 direct full-time equivalent jobs and 2470 indirect.
Once operational, it is expected to provide 120 direct jobs and 160 indirect.
Mr Dingemanse predicted North-East tourism would increase by 322 per cent and ``tourist spend'' would increase by about $25 million a year when the resort was finished.
