San Juan, Mar 9 (EFE).- A $250 million plan by actor Robert De Niro and investor James Packer to turn Barbud a’s K-Club hotel into a luxury resort has created controversy on the island.

De Niro and Packer want to renovate the K-Club, which was once visited by the late Princess Diana, Antigua and Barbuda’s consulate in New York said Monday on Twitter.

The proposal was approved last week in a referendum by a vote of 206-175.

But the fact that fewer than half of Barbuda’s roughly 1,400 residents cast ballots has caused controversy, The Daily Observer reports.

De Niro and Packer’s proposal was presented to the Antigua and Barbuda government last November.

At that time, Prime Minister Gaston Browne reminded the public of De Niro’s frequent visits to the islands and he designated the actor as Special Economic Envoy in the hopes of attracting major investment to the Caribbean country.

The opposition Barbuda People’s Movement asked residents to vote “no” to the proposal, claiming that if it was approved, 102 hectares (252 acres) of land would be conceded to the investors for a time frame of almost 200 years.

It also claimed that under the Barbuda Land Act, all land on the island belongs to the people, though the legislation does authorize cession of land for development with approval from the Cabinet, Council and people. EFE