EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background

Badon Ltd, referred to as the project promoter and/or proponent, is a locally incorporated
company that deals with the business of Real Estate and Property Development. The project
promoter intends to carry out a development based on the new Property Development Scheme
(PDS) model on a plot of land which lies within Avalon Golf Estate. Situated at Bois Sec, 1.9 km
from Bois Chéri and 4 km from Grand Bassin in the district of Savanne, Avalon Golf Estate
covers a total extent of 229 Ha 9, 440 m2. The site can be accessed from the North through Bois
Chéri and from the South through St Aubin.

A location plan showing the project site is attached in ANNEX 1.

Avalon Golf Estate’s project consists of the construction of an 18-hole golf course meeting
international standards that is integrated within a land parcelling for residential morcellement
purposes. Arthur and Morgane Ltd, a duly registered company, which owns Avalon Golf Estate,
has also integrated three residential projects within its property. The residential projects would
be implemented by three different entities. One of the plots, identified as plot Q would function
under a Real Estate Scheme (RES) while the two other plots of land earmarked as “Plot P” and
“Plot R” would be developed under the Property Development Scheme (PDS). This EIA report
relates to the present project, “PDS P”, also known as Badon Village and would be implemented
by Badon Ltd.

The “Badon Village” project would consist of the construction of residential buildings aiming at
providing high standard villas to the potential owners. There would be three different types of
villas and they have been named as Villa Albatross, Villa Eagle, and Villa Birdie. The “PDS P”
project would contain a total of 34 no. villas.

The number of units for the “PDS P” project is displayed in Table 1.

1
EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

Table 1: Types of villas

Sr. No Villa Type Villa code No. of bedrooms PDS P

1 Villa Albatross A 4 Bedrooms 7
2 Villa Eagle E 3 Bedrooms 16
3 Villa Birdie B 2 Bedrooms 11
Total 34

The buildings would comprise a ground floor only. The promoter has sought the services of
experts and professionals to design the project in conformity with the prevailing planning
guidelines together with the best architectural and engineering practices.

Avalon Golf Estate has a total extent of approximately 229 Ha 9,440 m2 and 7 Ha 4,796 m2 of
the total land has been earmarked for the “PDS P” project.

The present undertaking would consist of the following features:

(a) 7 villa Albatross with swimming pool

(b) 16 villa Eagle with swimming pool
(c) 11 villa Birdie with swimming pool
(d) A landscaped environment
(e) State of the art infrastructures

An eco-friendly approach would be adopted for the construction of the villas. In that respect, the
promoter would ensure that utmost precautions are taken and due attention is given to a green
design that would prevent any damage to the existing physical and biological features. The
villas have also been positioned in such a way that minimum alterations to the original natural
settings would be achieved.

The types of villas that would be proposed would have two to four bedrooms. Each unit would
be of self-contained model, with private swimming pool and garden. The proposed project is
further detailed in Chapter 4 - Project Description.

The project promoter is targeting the local investors to be stakeholders of the project. There
would be a team of renowned local professionals that would be responsible to design and
supervise the project in accordance with the requirements of the local authorities. The initial
capital investment of the project is estimated at MUR 655 million. All the projects present on
Avalon Golf Estate would be managed by a common syndic that would employ 120 workers for
the maintenance and day-to-day management of the Golf course, residential morcellement and

2
EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

RES/PDS developments. There would be additional job opportunities created during the
operational phase of the “PDS P” project, such as maid servants and babysitters, but this would
depend on the needs of the individual villa owners. Indirect jobs would also be created in the
form of leisure amenities including animations.

1.2 Aims and Objectives

The project promoter, Badon Ltd, aims at setting up 34 villas amidst the region of Bois Sec that
would combine relaxation and comfort in a beautiful natural setting. This goal would be
performed in line with the following objectives:

(a) Sound environment practices such as proper solid waste management, wastewater
disposal, maintenance of landscaped areas, composting of green waste and paper as
far as practicable and use of green technologies such as solar water heaters.
(b) Sensitisation of villa residents on the natural environment by promoting the conservation
of biological diversity through plantation of endemic plants.
(c) Choice of material and infrastructures that are appropriate for the setting.
(d) The design philosophy is to use the best available technologies to construct a real estate
golf community based on a PDS model.
(e) Scrupulous practice regarding the day-to-day management services such as security,
maintenance, gardening and household services.

1.3 Brief on Project Proponent

Avalon Golf Estate which has a total land extent of 229 Ha 9,440 m2, belongs to Arthur and
Morgane Ltd, formerly known as Lignecaliste Property Company Ltd. A copy of the Certificate
of Incorporation on change of name is enclosed in ANNEX 2 for ease of reference.

In August 2012, Avalon Golf Estate has obtained an EIA licence (ref ENV/DOE/EIA/1555) for
the conversion of 79 Ha 3,292 m2 of its premises into an 18-hole championship golf course. The
Golf project was completed in December 2015.

Moreover, in May 2013, an EIA licence (ref ENV/DOE/EIA/1575) was granted to the
management of Avalon Golf Estate for the development of a residential morcellement project on
its premises at Bois Sec. In November 2016, the residential morcellement project was
completed.

3
EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

Arthur and Morgane Ltd has earmarked a portion of land 8 Ha 958 m2, referred to as “Plot Q”
that has been sold to Carleon Ltd for the construction of 36 residential units under the Real
Estate Scheme. Accordingly, Carleon Ltd has made an application to the Ministry of
Environment and Sustainable Development for an EIA licence in March 2014. RES Q has
received its EIA licence (ref ENV/DOE/EIA/1616) in September 2014 and RES certificate from
the Board of Investment (BOI) in October 2015.

In October 2015, Arthur and Morgane Ltd has been granted a PER licence (ref
ENV/DOE/PER/809) for a helipad, located near the clubhouse.

Now, a portion of the remaining plot of land, 7 Ha 4,796 m2 (referred to as “Plot P”) has been
sold to Badon Ltd for the construction of luxurious real estate based on a PDS model with the
highest environmental standards and management practices. Badon Ltd, formerly known as
Chassalia Ltd, is a subsidiary of Arthur and Morgane Ltd. The latter is the sole shareholder of
Badon Ltd. The proposed PDS undertaking is a first of its kind for Badon Ltd. The syndic of
Avalon Golf Estate will be responsible for the management of the PDS development, the RES
development, the golf course and the residential morcellement.

Table 2 shows the professional partners that would carry out the proposed project.

Table 2: Project team

Promoter Badon Ltd
Representative of project promoter Mr Teck Yan Chan Sui Ko
Marketing Agent Nexteracom Services Ltd
Quantity Surveyor Chung & Wong Associates Ltd
Architect Lampotang & Siew Architects
Structural Engineer Young & Associates
M&E Engineer ProDesign Sustainability & MEP Engineers
Main Contractor To be appointed
Environmental Engineers VYYAASS Consulting Engineer Ltd

1.4 Site Extent and Land Ownership

“Plot P” earmarked for the PDS development covers an extent of 7 Ha 4,796 m2 and represents
3.25% of the premises of Avalon Golf Estate which covers a total extent of 229 Ha 9,440 m2.

Avalon Golf Estate belongs to Arthur and Morgane Ltd, a duly registered company, which was
formerly incorporated as Lignecaliste Property Company Ltd and sold “Plot P” to Badon Ltd.

4
EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

The following documents are attached in ANNEX 2 for ease of reference:

(a) Certificate of incorporation of Lignecaliste Co Ltd

(b) Certificate of incorporation of Arthur & Morgane Ltd
(c) Proof of ownership
(d) Certificate of Incorporation of Chassalia Ltd
(e) Certificate of Incorporation of Badon Ltd
(f) Acte de vente between Arthur & Morgane Ltd and Badon Ltd
(g) Business Registration Card of Badon Ltd

1.5 Project Justification

Mauritius which is already a well-established and popular tourism destination is now faced with
a demand from non-citizens to acquire residential properties over the island. The Real Estate
Scheme was presented under the Investment Promotion Act and Investment Promotion (Real
Estate Development Scheme) Regulations 2007. Subsequently, the Property Development
Scheme (PDS) was set up as per provisions of the Investment Promotion (Property
Development Scheme) Regulations 2015. The Property Development Scheme, which has
replaced the Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS) and Real Estate Scheme (RES), allows the
development of residences by landowners having freehold land of an extent at least 0.422
hectares but not exceeding 21.105 hectares. Under the PDS scheme, promoters are permitted
to develop and sell any mix of residences to non-citizens and citizens of Mauritius, as well as
members of the Mauritian Diaspora.

These types of real estate projects have been beneficial for the economy of Mauritius in terms
of influx of foreign currencies and in the creation of jobs. The project targets an upmarket niche
clientele. The buyers will be mainly high net worth golf players and those who wish to live in the
countryside. The proposed PDS projects forms part of the overall project at Avalon Golf Estate,
which is sustained by an 18-hole championship golf course. Other leisure, commercial
amenities and facilities provided within Avalon Golf Estate would also be accessible to the future
villa owners.

Through the Board of Investment (BOI), the Government of Mauritius has prepared a set of
guidelines that would enable prospective developers and owners in dealing with such type of

5
EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

projects. The proposed site earmarked for the present undertaking is of extent 7 Ha 4,796 m2
and meets the requirement for the development of a PDS. A letter of approval issued by the BOI
is attached in ANNEX 3.

The proposed project is in line with the Government’s policy to attract more tourists and direct
foreign investment to the country while caring for social dimensions for the benefit of the local
community. The natural set up of the site makes it conductive to the intended project. We move
towards recommendation of the undertaking since the development promises many social and
economic gains for the country.

This region, being situated on the central plateau of the island, offers breath-taking natural
scenery with its panoramic view onto the sea towards its southern boundary. This proposed
development would provide investment opportunities in the form of residential and rental
properties with tremendous capital growth potential.

The PDS Company is planning to invest around MUR 655 million on this particular project. This
will be in the form of equity and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). It will generate direct income to
Government institutions in the form of taxes, duties and levies. Other expenses include the
hiring of services of professionals, contractors and purchase of materials for construction. There
would also be other expenditures in the form of finishing materials, fit-out, furniture and
landscaping works amongst others. In that respect, the project would have a financial bearing
that would generate numerous job opportunities. It has the potential to generate some 100
direct and indirect employment opportunities during its construction phase and some 120 jobs
during its operational phase. The proposed undertaking would benefit the nearby local
community residing at Bois Chéri village through job creation. After construction, low-skill jobs
will be created, namely for maids, gardeners, cooks and the like.

The project would further benefit the neighbouring community residing at Bois Chéri through
implementation of social amenities and specific community development projects as further
detailed in the Chapter 8 – Socio-cultural and Socio-economic impacts.

6
EIA Proposed Property Development Scheme project on “Plot P” of Avalon Golf Estate at Bois Sec

1.5.1 Environmental Impact Assessment

Real Estate development under the Property Development Scheme is not a scheduled
undertaking in accordance to Part B Item 34 of the Environmental Protection (Amendment of
Schedule) Regulations 2006, regulations made by the Minister under the Environment
Protection Act 2002. However, with regards to item 24 “Land clearing and development,
including installation of high tension lines in environmentally sensitive areas such as water
catchment areas, waterlogged areas, wetlands, mountain slopes and islets”, an Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) licence is mandatory. Moreover, the Ministry of Social Security,
National Solidarity, and Environment and Sustainable Development, then known as the Ministry
of Environment and Sustainable Development has informed Arthur and Morgane Ltd that a
separate EIA has to be prepared for each Real Estate development projects within Avalon Golf
Estate and submitted to the Ministry. A copy of the letter from the Ministry of Environment and
Sustainable Development is attached in ANNEX 4.

In this context, the project promoter has commissioned Messrs. VYYAASS Consulting Engineer
Ltd to prepare an EIA. The report has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines set by
the Department of Environment and portrays an assessment that encompasses the evaluation
of the environmental impacts and the proposed mitigating measures to be implemented.