£190m. to update harbour
NEARLY £190m. needs to be found to overhaul the facilities at the harbour and bring them into the 21st century, the team behind a 10-year vision for the project says.
Under the tagline '#MyHarbours', the plans are now out to consultation as the harbour management team reveals its wish list of projects – including £110m. for a hydrocarbon supply programme strategy – it says are needed to ensure both St Peter Port and St Sampson's harbours remain 'fit for purpose'.
Harbour director Sarah McGreevy said the investment must be made so the island's 'valuable lifelines' can remain in service for the next 25 years. Standing by and allowing them to degrade was simply not possible, and if that was allowed to happen it would have serious repercussions.
'Maintaining the status quo is not an option.
'If we allow the harbours to continue to deteriorate and we fail to find new income streams and invest in the future, the impact on the island could be devastating.'
Public Services Minister Paul Luxon said that the island must be willing to invest to bring its services up to scratch.
'To quote the previous Harbour Master, St Peter Port Harbour is a 19th-century structure using 20th-century practices to deal with 21st-century demands,' he said.
