Guernsey Press

CGi sees benefit in extending harbour

EXTENDING St Peter Port Harbour using inert waste would benefit the local economy, a Confederation of Guernsey Industry spokesperson has said.

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A Confederation of Guernsey Industry spokesperson has said extending St Peter Port Harbour using inert waste would benefit the local economy. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 24213483)

It was announced last week that seven deputies, including three members of Policy & Resources, have submitted a requete for the States to approve.

If it goes ahead, they said their idea would provide long-term strategic advantages for Guernsey, as well as provide 70,000sq.m of land and bring in £26m. during its development.

The group of deputies are calling for this to be investigated rather than looking to extend the Longue Hougue site to the south.

A spokesperson for the Confederation of Guernsey Industry said it fully supported the requete put forward by States Assembly & Constitution Committee president Deputy Neil Inder.

‘The proposed amendment has purpose and offers economically beneficial outcomes and opportunities for the island rather than Longue Hougue, which has no plan and just incurs expense,’ they said.

‘We were involved in the initial public consultation on the future of inert waste two years ago, and our view then is similar to today – any major expenditure project has to offer significant benefits to Guernsey, which Deputy Inder’s clearly does. This proposal also has been put forward to the waterfront working party and is supported by the commercial companies involved.’

If approved, the States’ Trading Supervisory Board would be instructed to develop plans for a new 160m jetty attached to the eastern arm of the harbour, next to the QEII Marina, although the deputies add that it could be an alternative size depending on what STSB and the harbour master may judge to be useful.

The requete suggests a three-phase project, with the first being the infill of an area east of the QEII marina with inert waste, which is estimated could take four years.

No costs are given, since the proposals have not been worked on in sufficient detail, although the deputies said that conversations with STSB officers have not indicated concern that it would be a more expensive solution than that proposed at Longue Hougue south.

Based on the amount of inert waste required, and a gate fee of £25 per tonne, they estimate that the site could raise £10.35m. income from phase 1 and £15.75m. from phase 3.