David Burt, the Premier, has not provided an update on when building work on the redevelopment of the Fairmont Southampton resort will get under way.

He has repeatedly insisted that ground would be broken on the property in the second quarter of this year.

That deadline comes to an end on Friday — and there is still no sign of building work getting started, or a contract with developer Gencom.

The project has been hit by delays, with timelines being frequently redrawn in the past year.

Mr Burt first outlined a timeframe for the project last October, as he was fighting off a leadership challenge from Curtis Dickinson, the former Minister of Finance.

He insisted that a deal was done, adding that a formal signing of the agreement was expected to take place by mid-December at the latest.

“What we are doing is getting to the closing process, which takes 45 to 60 days.”

In December 2022, Mr Burt acknowledged that the “done deal” had yet to be rubber stamped, but that he was still confident that work would start this year and was expected to be completed towards the end of 2024.

He told the House of Assembly: “What I can say is that, the information that I have is the developers are still confident that they will be able to progress the opening of the hotel for the 2024 tourism season, which of course is essential for Bermuda’s tourism recovery.”

In February, he insisted that the complex negotiations with Gencom were on the verge of being completed, and that work was expected to start between April and June this year.

Responding to questions from the opposition One Bermuda Alliance, Mr Burt said: “We are working through the closing documentation. There are multiple parties in this transaction — two different lenders, the owners, Government of Bermuda, and also the local lenders, so there is significant work and transactions.

“The two critical timelines which all are working for is for the commencement of construction in the second quarter of this year and opening of the hotel in 2024.”

That timeline seemed optimistic when Westend Properties, the resort owner, submitted a revised special development order with the Department of Planning.

It is understood that that application, which sparked a wave of protest from environmental groups, has not yet been approved.

Last week The Royal Gazette e-mailed questions about the timeline of the development to a spokeswoman for the Premier. This newspaper asked if work was still expected to begin this month, and if not, had the timeline for the project been revised.

The spokeswoman declined to give an official response.