Mosquito Island

The Mosquito Island public meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 27 at Robinson O’Neal Memorial School in North Sound, Virgin Gorda. The Virgin Islands Government will be renting a boat to transport residents to and from Tortola .

Planned to be completed in five years, the first phase will include five three-bedroom villas, a residence for Branson, staff accommodations, green power generation, a refurbished dock and restaurant, beach bar and walking trails open to the public, according to Ryan West, Project Director for Mosquito Island.

The resort will also include sustainable design and construction techniques, and 100 percent renewable energy like solar and wind — all on the cutting edge of green technology, he said. Branson has been investing money in green technology, and this resort will be a showcase for such technology and promote healthy living as well.

West said they will bring in experts in green technology to train local contractors, so they can use the techniques in other VI developments. The new resort plans to set the pace for green design, and other local developers will hopefully follow their lead, he said.

“ Mosquito Island will become a showcase for the implementation of green technology for the region as well as the world,” according to the master plan on file at Town and Country Planning. The Environmental Impact Assessment is also available to the public at the agency.

Mosquito Island will be less exclusive than Necker Island , another VI Branson property, and the villas will be priced at the same level as other North Sound resorts, West said. The resort will grow their own fruits and vegetables, as well buy from local farmers. The latest organic growing techniques will be used in the resort’s garden and shared with local growers, West said.

The project plans to clean up and restore the island, suffering from garbage, abandoned appliances, mangrove removal and erosion, West said. The salt ponds on the island are planned to be restored, because they have been silted up due to storms.

There have already been two public meetings on the re-development of Mosquito Island , West said. Attendees of the meeting said they wanted locals to be able to participate, stimuli to local businesses and training opportunities for local residents. West said these suggestions were worked into the resort’s plan.

“Usually people design something and then go to the public, we did it the other way around,” West said.

The master plan stated that  Mosquito Island would provide green and renewable energy education and sponsor local green enterprises. For water, power, soil conservation, and ecology restoration, the plan said the resort will teach locals and visitors about the possibilities of green technology.

Phase II, that is planned for completion in about ten years, will add 15 villas to the resort property.

Branson bought the 132-acre island in 2007, undeveloped except for the Drake Anchorage Resort that was closed down in 2000.

Proprietor of the Virgin brand that includes an airline, record label and resorts all over the world, Branson has been a vocal advocate of the need to reduce carbon output, which has been blamed for global climate change.

In 2006, Branson announced all profits from Virgin Holidays would be invested in sustainable energy research. Profits from his air and train travel companies, estimated at $3 billion over the next ten years, would also go towards the development of green power demonstrated at Mosquito Island .

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