The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a lower court ruling Friday, paving the way for a long disputed plan to build a luxury resort and golf course on 659 acres at Beef Island to move forward, the bvibeacon.com site reports.

Quorum Island (BVI) Limited, the project’s developer, claimed in a statement Tuesday that the territory will receive “very substantial” benefits from the development, which is currently undergoing revisions to its master plan. Those revisions, which the company said were prompted by economic and environmental concerns, will postpone the golf course construction to “future phases” of the project, the statement said. The changes will also eliminate golf near Hans Creek, whose disputed status as a protected fisheries area is at the centre of the legal debate.

“The revised master plan calls for more extensive and generous buffers between residential developments and Hans Creek. The Beef Island Resort will be developed in stages of low density and small-scale projects, over an extended period, with the utmost respect for the environment,” the company wrote in the statement.

For the original report go to http://www.bvibeacon.com/1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=917:beef-island-developer-wins-appeal