According to the Nevis government, this involves an investment of several billion dollars on the south coast of the island, which has 13,200 inhabitants and an area of 93 square kilometres. It is the first large-scale development project under a law passed last summer in Saint Kitts and Nevis, an independent state that was formerly a British colony.

Designer of Burj Khalifa

The Destiny Project includes villas, hospitals, green areas and swimming pools. The designer is the American architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, known for projects like the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai. Janssens is currently involved in negotiations with the local government on this project. If it goes ahead, the Belgian has promised to invest 50 million dollars (42.5 million euros) in infrastructure on Nevis.

However, Janssens also wants to introduce his own legal system, which is causing concern among some local residents. The new law provides that developers of large projects can introduce their own ‘dispute resolution services and mechanisms’.

‘Not to be trusted’

At the end of November, Janssens gave a presentation to local residents. According to the Financial Times, he said that the Nevis court system was not efficient. ‘If we just copied that, it would not be attractive for people to come,’ he said. Janssens also said that he does not trust politicians and called Nevis a ‘host country’ for his libertarian community.

Interestingly, the estate agent assisting Janssens with his land purchases, Sharon Brantley, is the wife of the Prime Minister of Nevis, Mark Brantley.