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Profile
Beauty products to trees
Continued from page 14
nearly a decade, Butcher describes himself as “a Gibraltar belonger”, explaining: “I certainly become hugely offended when I read about Spain coming into Gibraltarian waters. I understand they are British waters, but Gibraltar is the one actually flying the flag and trying to defend them. When you come to Gibraltar, you either fall in love with the place or you leave.”
He rarely does interviews, “so I can go out casually and nobody recognises me”. This meeting took two years to arrange, partly because of his regular work travel, which now he shuns during school holidays. “For 21 weeks I lock myself down, so my children are with me; I’m switching some business meetings too, so for example, my Asian team have to travel here and we keep some apartments available for visitors.”
Commitments not met
When travelling, he prefers easyJet or private jet to “spending more money and upgrading to BA business class, because I feel more relaxed – in my school years I was a dishwasher, a
garden attendant and delivered newspapers, so I have a relaxed attitude. I don’t feel a sense of entitlement.”
At the WTC ground breaking ceremony last summer, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, noted: “When I first met Greg Butcher some years ago, I knew I was in the presence of someone who would not let anything get in the way - and I mean that in the best possible sense of the word.”
Butcher clashed with the government after development arrangements with the previous administration were changed, but he eventually agreed premium payments on specific projects to progress his plans.
Reflecting, he says: “We have delivered on every single thing that we said we would do [in the original OV project plan]; not everything that was committed to us has come to us. When you are going to invest, you say ‘I will take this risk, but I do need these concessions’ - and not all of that has happened.”
So has the OV vision turned out as expected? “I think we are getting there. The recession globally slowed us down”, Butcher observes. And is that the end for Gibraltar
development? “We don’t know. Well..., er... ask me over the next few years. We need to find more sites first. I find governments try to do the right thing, but obviously, there is also politics involved,” he muses.
He’s still keen on the ‘jewel in the crown’ - a Gardens of Gibraltar development on the old casino site that he owns next to the Rock Hotel, 400ft above sea level, to produce another 100 dwellings, each with their own garden and views to Africa. It’s been delayed seven years because of water tanks there; some for the MoD are still in use. “We will get there, but it’s not fast,” Butcher admits
Asian-inspired greening: artists impression of Ocean Spa Plaza
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Gibraltar International 29