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Branson splashes £10m on a second Caribbean paradise
Last updated at 12:22pm on 17.02.07
Virgin coastline: Moskito Island, where Sir Richard Branson plans to build a luxury resort for eco-friendly holidaymakers
Sir Richard Branson has bought a second Caribbean island for £10million with a view to turning it into a luxury resort for ecofriendly families.
Moskito is just one and a half miles from Necker, the island home the Virgin tycoon paid £130,000 for in 1976.
His plans for Moskito's 120 acres are still being drawn up but will include Balinesestyle lodges made from local trees and resources.
The resort is expected to be powered by wind, wave or solar power, and appeal to those in search of an environmentally responsible break.
Sir Richard's Virgin Atlantic airline flies eight routes to the Caribbean. Both Moskito and the 74-acre Necker are part of the British Virgin Islands, to the east of Puerto Rico.
He said: "I was terrified that Moskito would end up in the wrong hands and be ruined.
"It is a beautiful island that needs love and attention. I want to start from scratch and create the most ecologically friendly island in the world.
"Come back in five years and you'll find a mini-Bali with a rainforest in the Caribbean."
Conventional cars will be banned although there may be small electric to ferry visitors around. Sir Richard, 56, is already installing wind and wave turbines and solar panels on Necker, which is used as a hideaway by celebrities such as Mariah Carey and Annie Lennox. Princess Diana was also a visitor.
Sir Richard said he intended Moskito to be carbon neutral. This means that any carbon dioxide which is produced will be off-set by actions which remove the gas from the atmosphere, such as planting more trees.
He said Necker should itself be "CO2 neutral" within nine months.
Sir Richard, who spoke on the environment to the U.S. Senate in Washington on Wednesday, said: "Both islands are test beds and hopefully other islands in the Caribbean will follow suit."
A spokesman for Virgin said: "This will be the ultimate ecofriendly family holiday destinabuggiestion. Sir Richard is designing it now. There are a couple of buildings on the island, but apart from that it is unspoilt.
"Homes will be built Balinese -style from sustainable materials. There will be wind and wave power to generate electricity and power. There will be electric buggies but no cars."
The spokesman said the island would be open to tourists within a few years.
The island takes its name from the Moskito Indians who lived in the area from before the 1500s, rather than from the mosquito insect with which it is often confused.
For visitors seeking an oasis of peace and tranquility there are plenty of attractions, such as hiking and snorkelling.
Moskito has its dangers, however - the Colquhorn Reef has claimed many boats and private yachts, according to locals.
Sir Richard closed the deal with the island's former owner, a Los Angeles businessman, last week. It seems though, that not everyone was happy about the sale.
Local boating operator Bareboats BVI raised concerns that the 'little jewel' could be ruined by the flamboyant
Its website says the island used to be popular with visiting sailors and scuba divers.
In the 1960s there was a small resort set up by a local legend Bert Kilbride, now in his 90s, who spent 50 years searching for underwater treasure.
He describes himself as the 'Last Pirate of the Caribbean'. The resort closed in 1997 but reopened briefly in 2000.
The Bareboats website notes: 'Financial troubles have plagued the owners and nobody really knows for sure what the future holds.'
It said Sir Richard had been favourite to buy it: "The likelihood of this little Virgin Island treasure ever again being the low-key 'all welcome' kind of place it once was may be in doubt.
"I have nothing against Mr Branson, but I do fear that the everyman may soon lose access to yet another of the British Virgin Islands. Let's ope my fears are unfounded."
Green groups were also dismayed at the irony that, to reach this environmentallyfriendly paradise, visitors would have to fly thousands of miles by aeroplane.
