Iain MacFarlane was responding to concerns raised by fellow States member Alex Snowdon over the wisdom of commissioning a feasibility study for a data centre. Mr Snowdon has complained that such a facility would be a massive infrastructure project, which may well not be in keeping with the size of the island’s community.
But his colleague dismisses that approach as short-sighted, and said that doing nothing would definitely be the wrong decision for the island. In fact he says that refusing to explore the option of establishing a data centre locally would be ‘financially reckless’.
The General Services Committee chairman said that some people in Alderney even questioned if the island needed to pursue new sources of revenue, but he was dismissive of that attitude.
‘We could pay for critical infrastructure ourselves, rather than constantly relying on others,’ he said, ‘whether that is within the current arrangements around transferred services or by creating our own way to fund it.
‘We could support our air links properly. There was an airport protest about Aurigny and the lack of service. They operate with around £1.5m. to service Alderney. If we had the means, we could top that up and improve resilience and frequency.
‘We could invest in education. There was a school protest about the lack of continuity and opportunity. We could fund ways to attract and retain teachers and strengthen on-island provision. We could tackle housing. There is a clear shortage of affordable homes.
‘We could develop housing for local families and attract new people to the island. We could address fuel security. We rely heavily on imported fossil fuels and that cost falls on residents. We could invest in Alderney Electricity and strengthen our energy infrastructure. The list goes on.’
Mr Snowdon has also said he is unhappy about the lack of public consultation over the data centre, but Mr MacFarlane said that would happen at the right time. He said that until the States knew more about the possible size, location, cooling method and power requirements for such a venture, any consultation would be premature.