A United Kingdom firm, Pennyroyal Gibraltar, has embarked on a major resort construction project in Zanzibar expected to cost of $1 billion.

The high-end complex to be known as Zanzibar Amber Resort is being built on a 650-hectare of land in the northeast of Zanzibar Island. The resort will overlook a four kilometre private beach.

According to Pennyroyal Director, Brian Thomson, the implementation of the entire project will take about eight years, while the first hotel is expected to open in three years.

The project comprises five five-star hotels, a fully equipped equestrian centre, marina, golf course, a private jet airport with 3000-metre runway, medical facilities and an international school.

Pre-construction work including the provision of a 20km public road leading to the resort site, site clearance and perimeter walls commenced in September this year.

The plan is to have the marina, golf course and infrastructure work including roads and services for the resort be completed within three years. This will coincide with the completion of the first hotel projects, apartment blocks and villas.

Thomson says, Pennyroyal plans to generate electricity from gas and wind energy plants that will be built near the resort to overcome the challenge of a lack of reliable power supply.