La Grande Mare’s owner says it will be world class

Owner Stephen Lansdown set out the revised timetable for his multi-million pound redevelopment at a Chamber of Commerce lunch on tourism yesterday.

‘We have gone through the demolition phase and digging out lakes.

‘We’re at the stage where in April work on the course will get under way and then work on the hotel,’ said Mr Lansdown.

‘We’re looking at opening in summer or autumn 2025. We should announce membership costs in 2024.

‘We’re playing with numbers at the moment. We haven’t worked out exact numbers.’

Mr Lansdown set out his vision for tourism locally and shared more details about his west coast redevelopment – which he said should also boost other hotels in the island.

‘My vision is about getting people into Guernsey by giving them a reason to come here. Through our marketing, which will be international, we’ll get people into the island to play.

‘We’ll be working with other hotels and partners, especially along the west coast. We [at La Grande Mare] won’t have all the accommodation we need to cater for the demand.’

Mr Lansdown said the redevelopment would include a top-class golf course, a golf academy for juniors, and a health and wellbeing centre with a 25-metre six-lane swimming pool, and provide nature and conservation classes for schoolchildren.

‘We hope we might be able to get some golf tour events and corporate events with people coming over from Europe. It’s going to be an events destination.’

Mr Lansdown said that part of his vision for tourism included increasing wages in the industry.

‘We do need to be able to bring staff across [into Guernsey] and keep them here.

‘Moving people backwards and forwards is not conducive to business.

‘I’d love to be able to employ more locals. We have to galvanise our industry to pay more.

‘We have to give them better working conditions and better wages, and then obviously the tax take will be higher.’