‘Reckless and maverick’ St Peter Port harbour extension idea is sunk

The St Peter Port proposals, put forward by Deputy Neil Inder, were called ‘reckless’ and ‘maverick’ and were criticised for not including costings.

Instead, an amendment led by Deputy Peter Ferbrache, the President of the States’ Trading Supervisory Board, asking for a much broader investigation of the options all along the east coast was approved.

The STSB will now examine a number of potential sites for new berthing facilities, including locations outside St Sampson’s harbour and south of Longue Hougue.

Deputies voted overwhelmingly to reject the requete from Deputy Inder, and approve the amendment to instruct the STSB to carry out the £1.45 million review.

The original amendment had asked deputies to consider moving commercial operations out of St Peter Port harbour so it could focus more on leisure users, but this part was taken out so that the review could start on a more neutral basis.

Deputy Ferbrache gave an assurance that all the options would be examined, including the option to extend the east arm of the QE11 marina

‘It means it’s included, and it doesn’t mean that you start with a predisposition or a preconception, it just means that you are able to factor that into the equation without a conclusion.’

Responding to the allegation that he was being ‘coy’ about his vision for the harbours, Deputy Ferbrache responded: ‘I can only express my own view, and it’s not the view of STSB or the committee for Economic Development. We’re doing something that’s so iconic and that’s going to provide for the next 200 years, so we should actually be building a third commercial harbour somewhere.’

A lot of the debate focused on the visual impact of using inert waste to extend St Peter Port harbour and whether it would spoil the character of the area.

Deputy Peter Roffey said the requete came out of a ‘policy vacuum’ and that it would be a ‘hideous carbuncle on the face of an old friend’.

Deputy Roffey thought the Bridge could be a ‘big winner’ and attract more affluence if some of the fuel and commercial activities could be taken out of St Sampson’s harbour.

Other deputies had different views, Deputy Al Brouard said developing St Peter Port harbour was the way forward

‘It has raw, Guernsey common sense about it.

‘It is the opportunity to do two things at the same time.’

He urged his fellow States members to ‘seize the day.’

There was also debate about the expense of commissioning new harbour reports using out-of-island consultants when there are maritime experts already in the island.

However, it was generally agreed that on this occasion external expertise was required.