Constable wants to keep benches out of Church Square until area is alcohol-free zone
REMOVING the benches from Church Square has been like throwing a grenade in a fish pond, according to the parish official responsible.
St Peter Port constable Zoe Lihou said the ‘fish’ had since come to the surface with a range of opinions since the move was taken to deter antisocial behaviour.
The topic was one of several to be raised at the latest parish drop-in on Saturday.
‘We are trying to establish who wants to use the benches in an appropriate way,’ said Mrs Lihou.
‘The little old lady who is waiting for a taxi needs somewhere to sit and she can’t do that if the benches are being commandeered by others.’
It was a question now of finding what could be done to resolve the situation.
Mrs Lihou said she would be meeting police representatives today to discuss anti-social behaviour in Town generally, including things such as cycling in Town, littering and cigarette butts.
‘St Peter Port needs to be better at what it does,’ she said.
Mrs Lihou said she would be advocating having Church Square made an alcohol-free zone.
The benches would not go back until that happened, though the parish was looking at other options, such as putting a bench outside Sports Direct.
Some people were concerned about speeding in Queen’s Road and King’s Road. Mrs Lihou said she was against installing speed bumps but thought that putting speed tracking devices there might help.
Other subjects discussed included noisy motorbikes and hedges.
Two people said they intended to stand for douzenier for 2022.
St Peter Port community police officer Mark Shields attended the drop-in, which had been useful, according to Mrs Lihou.
