Warning of a future Guernsey
THE timer of Guernsey’s demographic timebomb has been a creeping shadow on government policy – and as we edge closer, we have a new number to think about.
After years of number crunching, experts have said we need 300 new people each year to prop up Guernsey’s workforce at 2020 levels.
For scale, that is the same number of people who work in Guernsey’s property sector. Or the number of pupils at La Houguette School. It is a number that has concerned many islanders, who feel Guernsey’s resources are already stretched and housing is too dense.
The population review does not make comforting reading, with the writers quick to flag the impact of having so many more people in the island, with green space likely to be swallowed up by dense housing in a bid to cope with the island’s increasing need for workers.
Preparing for so many new residents will be a gargantuan and cross-committee task. All committees will have a big part to play in encouraging people over and ensuring the island is ready to provide resources for these new residents.
But the report notes that even if schools and homes are built and services provided, people could still choose not to come, leaving us with land unnecessarily developed and services over-provided.
However, the issue at the forefront for many islanders is what life will be like with a population of up to 68,000.
And do they want to live in the Guernsey the policy report warns could be coming?
