A leading business group in St Lucia has paved the way for the CO Williams Group to replicate in that island the successes of Port St Charles Marina in Barbados.

The JQ Charles group of St Lucia has invited the Barbadian construction group to partner with them in developing 30 acres of prime real estate on that island's west coast along the same lines as St Peter marina.

This came from Ferrel Charles, chairman of the JQ Charles Ltd as he addressed a seminar on "Investment Opportunities in Barbados and St Lucia" put on by the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the St Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

He told the participants at Sherbourne Conference Centre last Wednesday the project could generate over 600 jobs during the construction phase and create permanent employment for between two to three hundred people when it was finished.

Charles said the two entities had already signed a memorandum of understanding on the US$147 million waterfront residential community project.

He told the BUSINESS AUTHORITY the partnership came about because his group had the land and they recognised the C.O. Williams group had the expertise and development capability.

The development, which will be constructed at Choc Estates four miles from Castries, should break ground in September if everything goes according to plan.

He estimated the construction of the 200-villa marina, called Port Sent Lisi (Creole for St Lucia) would take about five years.

The project came in for praise from St Lucian Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony in his April 2005 budget speech as he called it a "welcome addition to [ST Lucia's] up-market Tourism infrastructure".