TRADITIONAL landowners of Vatulele are seeking $2million in compensation from Vatulele Hotels Pte Ltd (VHL) after the resort site remained largely undeveloped six years after the company acquired the lease.
The demand was raised yesterday when representatives of five mataqali, accompanied by Vatulele residents, met Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to express their frustration over what they claim has been a lack of progress on the project and inadequate communication from the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB).
Speaking to this newspaper, turaga ni mataqali Naicokocokobalavu, Ilaitia Ratuva said the land was de-reserved and leased on the understanding that it would be developed into a resort that would create employment opportunities and generate income for landowners.
“That was the whole reason we agreed to lease the land,” he said.
“But since Vatulele Hotels Pte Limited took over the lease in 2019, we have not seen the kind of development we were promised.
“There has been no substantial construction, the resort has not been restored or reopened, and there have been no developments that would increase the returns we receive from our land.”
Mr Ratuva said the landowners accepted that the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in 2020 and 2021, but believed enough time had passed for the project to progress.
“Our patience has run out. What has made things worse is that for years we have received little to no information about what is happening.”
Mr Ratuva said the landowners have lost confidence in the developer and are now calling for the land to be returned to them.
Through their legal representative, Wylie Clark, the landowners have written to the TLTB seeking $1.5million in compensation for the period from 2019 to 2024 and a further $500,000 for 2025 as a gesture of goodwill, claiming they had suffered financially because the land remained undeveloped.
