Premier Ewart Brown last night promised a five-star St. Regis hotel would be announced for the former Club Med site within a week and a half.

In the latest of a string of pledges over the derelict St. George's property, the Premier said Carl Bazarian, of investment firm Bazarian International, would be on the Island to rubber stamp the move within days.

Dr. Brown told a Progressive Labour Party meeting in Southampton's Port Royal Primary School: "Within the next week and a half, I expect he (Mr. Bazarian) will be here to announce that that property is going to be the site of a new St. Regis hotel.

"If you think it's just talk, just watch and you will see. The agreement has already been signed with respect to the land. They are ironing out a few small details with respect to the brand itself."

St. George's residents — who have been calling for Club Med to be transformed for years — have complained that they have had their hopes dashed on numerous occasions.

Many developers have been lined up to take over the site since it closed in 1988, but each proposal has fallen by the wayside.

Dr. Brown, who is also Tourism Minister, has made a number of announcements over the site this year.

In April, he called a press conference to reveal Bazarian International had won the contract to carry out the scheme.

The following month he told PLP supporters at a meeting in Clearwater School, St. David's: "Let me tell you I made a commitment: in 2007, construction will begin on the new hotel in St. George's. I can promise you it will be delivered."

And last month, after calling the General Election, he announced Government was in the final stages of negotiations with St. Regis.

At last night's meeting, he also had a message for the Island's taxi drivers, who have been critical of Government in recent weeks.

"My friends the taxi drivers," said the Premier to laughter from the audience. "They will like me later, not right now. They will know the PLP's policies led to them having the best summer in many years.

"They have to understand that, in the real world, people compete. There's competition, and that's what happened to our hospitality industry."