Lease signed for new-look Rotto Lodge
A 50-year lease that will underpin the biggest infrastructure investment by the private sector in the history of Rottnest Island has been signed.
The deal, which has taken ten months to finalise, will allow British-born developer John Spence’s Karma Royal Group to rebuild the Rottnest Lodge.
The $20 million project will involve 80 accommodation units, a licensed bar and restaurant, a day spa and treatment rooms, a gymnasium and personal training facilities.
The lease involves about 5ha of land that winds around Garden Lake, between the existing Lodge and the island’s golf course.
As part of the agreement, the Quod — the former Aboriginal jail where about 300 prisoners died — will stop being used for tourist accommodation from May 2018.
It will be handed over to the Rottnest Island Authority, which plans to use it as a cultural centre and entry point to the Aboriginal burial grounds that sit alongside it.
Speaking from London yesterday, Mr Spence said he expected construction of the facilities to begin next year after the relevant building approvals were granted.
He said 14 postgraduate students from the University of California, where Mr Spence is a visiting fellow, were working on the design of the new accommodation and drawings would be released early next year.
“Our long-held vision of creating a world-class resort within the stark natural beauty and history of Rottnest is becoming a reality,” Mr Spence said.
“We are looking forward to the global attention it will bring to a truly spectacular corner of the world that has so much significance to me, both personally and professionally.”
Mr Spence ruled out any involvement in the island’s proposed new marina or a top-end hotel on the southern side of the island.
Tourism Minister Kim Hames said he was delighted that negotiations had been completed and that plans for the environmentally sensitive leisure and business concept had been cemented.
“It has taken a few months to ensure all parties are satisfied with the way forward but it was important to get the detail right,” he said.
“The whole design promises to be an exiting and innovative addition to Rottnest Island.
“Visitors can now look forward to a resort-style hotel of the same high standard that Karma has become famous for around the world.”
Source: The West Australian, Kent Acott, 27th November 2015
Originally published as: Lease signed for new-look Rotto Lodge
