Legacy to redesign L/stone hotel project

By Times of Zambia Reporter

LEGACY Holdings Zambia will redesign the Livingstone hotel project to conform to the allocated land on the northern part of the Maramba river.

A board meeting has been scheduled for this month to revise the initial US$260 million plan after which a new detailed design and implementation roadmap would be issued.

Legacy Holdings Zambia chairman, Jacob Sikazwe announced this in a statement released in Lusaka yesterday.

This follows the decision by Government to uphold a decision by the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) not to allow the project to go ahead as planned due to environmental concerns.
The ECZ allowed Legacy Holdings to construct only two hotels on the northern part of the Maramba river and not the proposed southern part.

The ECZ said the southern part of the river was an ecologically sensitive area that supported wildlife. It was also a major animal corridor linking the park to wildlife areas in Botswana and Zimbabwe which could not be disturbed.

The ECZ rejected the construction of a golf course and 450 villas at the same site.

Mr Sikazwe said the Government decision based on ECZ recommendation would have a significant impact on the current project design, business plan and roadmap.

“Not withstanding this decision, Legacy Holdings wishes to thank the Government for the manner the project has been handled,” he said.

The group re-affirmed its commitment to the development of an eco-friendly worldclass resort in Livingstone.

He was confident that once the revised project had been formulated, Livingstone will still have a worldclass resort that would enable Zambia compete with other worldclass resorts.

The project will create jobs, alleviate poverty and make Zambia a tourism destination of choice.