Campaigners voice marina opposition

Board of Administration plans to turn St Sampson's Harbour into a marina hit rough water at a public meeting last night. An estimated 250 people attended, most of them opposed to the proposed £3.4m. project that would see moorings created for 350 boats.

Deputy Roy Bisson said he would be placing a sursis at the next States meeting asking the board to carry out further consultation.

He said it had failed to come back with details of designs and tenders, as requested by the States when it gave the scheme approval in principle in July 2000.

He said plans in the Billet showed little, consultation had been almost non-existent and it was a disgrace.

Representatives of the Save St Sampson's Harbour Group, the Guernsey Boatowners' Association and the Guernsey Marine Traders joined the panel for the meeting, which was chaired by former Advisory and Finance president Peter Morgan.

Former Board of Industry president David Evans, representing the GBA, said that every time a sursis was used on building projects, it increased the cost and the States needed to make a decision now.

'If the board had done it's job properly, a decision could have been made,' said Deputy Bisson, to loud applause.

Concerns were raised on many issues, including potential traffic problems, pollution, access safety for boats and the appearance and height of piles that would need to be installed.

Gary Blanchard, from the Save St Sampson's Harbour Group, said he had been extremely pleased with the turnout at the meeting, of which he said at least 80% seemed to be against the development.

But the turnout of deputies, which he estimated at only eight or nine, had been disappointing.

He said it was quite likely a demonstration would be staged in the run-up to the States debate, but he would be consulting his fellow campaigners before making a decision.

Harbour master Captain Robert Barton told the meeting, at the Harbour Terminal, that St Sampson's had lost an average of £70,689 in each of the last 10 years.

Although the proposals met with a hostile response, board president Roger Berry said his committee would still be strongly recommending that the marina went ahead on the basis that the harbour should not be a drain on the Ports Holdings Account.

Deputy Dave Jones asked Deputy Berry if he could say there were no plans to commercialise the harbours and turn them into trusts.

He asked if the marina was a 'cash cow' that had to be put in, aimed at making the harbours a more attractive proposition for the future.

Deputy Berry said there were no such plans and the marina was a stand-alone project.

One woman who lived in the Vale said a notice that had been put through her letterbox asked people to attend the meeting only if they were against a marina. She and her husband were not, she said.

Mr Blanchford said he had distributed leaflets and he represented only one side.

Speaking after the meeting, Deputy Berry said he had been impressed by the technical depth of some of the questions that had been asked.

The biased nature of the meeting had not surprised him, and the people of the Vale and St Sampson's had had their moans, which was only to be expected.

But he said that the harbour would still be used for mooring boats and it was not as if it was being turned into a casino or cinema.

(Picture - Board of Administration president Deputy Roger Berry, left, and anti-marina campaigner Gary Blanchford sat next to each other at last night's public meeting. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 2V9P5628)