Sarkees are currently being invited to contribute to ‘Future Sark’, described by Chief Pleas as a new ‘community‑led conversation’ helping to shape a long‑term direction for the island.
The initiative begins with a presentation at Island Hall at 5pm on Monday, which will be attended by the Lt-Governor Sir Richard Cripwell.
Steve Skelton from Question Factory, the organisation appointed to facilitate the process, will speak at the launch event. Mr Skelton was formerly director of strategy and innovation at the Government of Jersey.
‘With extensive experience in community‑driven planning across the Channel Islands – including the Future Jersey programme – Mr Skelton will explain how the process will work, how islanders can contribute and how their ideas will be used to inform a framework for Chief Pleas to consider later in the year,’ a spokesman said.
Members of Chief Pleas agreed during its Budget meeting in November that it would commit £30,000 towards a strategic Island Plan.
The King’s Foundation, which was then known as the Prince’s Foundation, visited the island in 2023 at the behest of German entrepreneur Swen Lorenz and Sark Seigneur Christopher Beaumont, directors of the Sark Property Company, who were at the time hoping to take over the Barclays estate which makes up about 20% of the island. They paid £50,000 through their company and published a report into what Sarkees wanted for their island’s future.
Mr Lorenz said the first workshop they held in Sark in April 2023 had a record-level engagement.
‘This was no doubt driven by the foundation’s reputation and royal association,’ he said.
‘The workshop resulted in an extensive first baseline assessment, which was published. And all of this came at no cost to the public purse.’
He added that the King’s Foundation, an internationally recognised charity founded in 1990 by King Charles III, specialised in sustainable community development and heritage regeneration, with a strong emphasis on rural and historic communities.
‘Obviously, King Charles III also happens to be the contractual counterpart for the fief of Sark,’ he said.
‘A search of public sources yields that the prior work of Question Factory seems to focus on large UK metropolitan regions and combined authorities. The policy challenges of a major city region differ significantly from those of a small rural island economy dependent on tourism and heritage assets.
‘Unless this gets clarified by Chief Pleas, it appears that Question Factory track record has less direct relevance to Sark’s unique challenges.
‘It would have appeared to us that continuing to engage The King’s Foundation would be the most suitable and economic decision when it comes to defining the future of Sark. It is not clear to us why anyone would choose to start anew, instead of asking The King’s Foundation to build on their existing work and expertise.’
Seigneur Christopher Beaumont said he agreed with Mr Lorenz.
He said that he had been encouraging Chief Pleas to begin some kind of island plan for a number of years, following a Vision for Sark, produced in 2012 to support the work of Chief Pleas.
‘Where that plan comes from is neither here nor there,’ he said.
‘But it seems odd that Chief Pleas choose to spend money doing something that seems to have already been given to them by an organisation with impeccable credentials in this field.’
A spokesman for Chief Pleas said the Future Sark initiative aimed to gather views openly and fairly, turning them into a practical, shared picture of island priorities.
‘This will help Chief Pleas make confident, well‑informed decisions in the years ahead, while giving islanders a clear way to understand how the island is progressing over time,’ he said.
Chief Pleas said the project would run through the spring and summer, giving people of all ages the chance to share their views.