The Government is close to securing a developer for the Club Med site and plans to demolish some of the buildings are also underway.

Yesterday, Minister of Works and Engineering, Dennis Lister, announced that people currently living in the former hotel will be evicted in ten days and moved to emergency housing elsewhere on the Island. People have been living illegally in the former hotel for several months, some of the residents said it was because they had no place else to go. Mr. Lister said people in Club Med who have signed up to the Bermuda Housing Corporation register will be moved to either the Pembroke Rest Home or staff accommodation at the former Wyndam Resort.

He also said renovating the Club Med facility for housing was not an option.

He said: “Many have suggested that we need only restore those properties and allow people to live there under a normal lease agreement. There are a number of issues with that approach.

“Firstly, we would still need to find alternate accommodations for the persons there while the necessary works were undertaken. But more importantly, it would not be cost effective to attempt to bring the properties back into a state for habitation.

“Further the Government is well advanced in securing a developer to re-develop the site and plans to make available the entire site to the selected developer.

He added that as the Minister responsible for the property he was giving the resident notice that they will have to move out by March 30. “Following that the structures will be demolished,” he said.

Permanent Secretary of Works and Engineering, Dr. Derrick Binns, said the demolition of staff quarters would take place immediately after March 30 deadline and added that the cost of demolishing the buildings would be covered by the Government. Both he and a Department of Tourism spokeswoman said they could not comment on the redevelopment of the property at this time but the tourism spokeswoman said interest in the site remains high.

Minister of Housing, Sen. David Burch, said Police had conducted an appraisal of Club Med before the decision to vacate it was made and said the property was not safe. Officers also noted that a “criminal fraternity” was active on the site, Sen. Burch said. Police will also be on the site March 30 to ensure that everyone leaves the site. He also said discussions about the plight of people living in the former hotel began long before the issue was brought up by Opposition Senator Gina Spence Farmer, or the media. He explained that the Government was waiting for suitable accommodation to be found before it made an announcement.

Yesterday, he said single people and couples without children would be moved to the staff quarters at the Wyndam Resort, while people living at Club Med with children would be moved to the Pembroke Rest Home along with former residents of Leopards’ Club Plaza who were moved yesterday.

He added that the Pembroke Rest Home had been cleaned and prepared for the new tenants.

The owners of Wyndam Resort, which closed last October and is also scheduled for demolition and redevelopment, were approached by Government and agreed to lease the buildings to Government and allow them to be used for temporary emergency housing in what Sen. Burch called “an outstanding example of public spiritedness”.

One of the buildings will be ready by the end of March while the other will be ready to accommodate more people by mid April.

The Minister said: “Finally, this Government has been accused of not listening, and I myself, of not caring. Nothing could be farther from the truth and today you have seen the leadership and solutions that Bermudians can and should expect from this Government.”This is clearly a temporary solution however it provides interim relief for those in need. I can assure you we are not sitting on our laurels, revelling in being able to provide this temporary solution - we are busy working on a permanent solution.”