‘Brave’ tourism move should be welcomed
THE decline of Guernsey’s tourist industry over the past couple of decades – in terms of the numbers game, not the quality of the accommodation which remains – has been as sad for islanders to witness as the demise, a couple of decades earlier, of horticulture.
That decline still bears its scars across our parishes. Vacant and derelict hotel sites make us feel sad as we pass by. Islanders see high-profile sites such as the Forest Park Hotel. Overgrown. Fenced off. A blot and a blight on the landscape.
The number of visitors seeking accommodation has fallen by some 25% in the period from the Millennium to the pandemic. And so it is no surprise that a number of visitor accommodation sites of lesser quality have fallen out of the industry, when the investment required cannot be recouped by limited seasonal activity only.
The Development and Planning Authority’s latest recommendation, revealed this week – that these properties, and it specifically names 10, a mixture of hotels, visitor accommodation and self-catering sites – be able to secure change of use, without formal planning permission, as long as the buildings are not physically changed, will surely be seen as controversial by some.
But wide consultation has backed the idea so far and the decision to limit the window for change of use to just two years is a sensible move.
Is it enabling site owners to secure a premium on dereliction? Arguably, there is little alternative. Sites such as the Idlerocks site on the cliffs of St Martin’s have secured various planning permissions over the years, all with an element of tourist beds included, but none have progressed.
Sites such as Forest Park and L’Eree Hotel could provide useful and, importantly, affordable housing.
This proposal, bundled in with a number of other planning exemptions, looks like a real game changer, bringing redundant property which will never again contribute to the visitor economy back into use for an economic or social gain.
Members of the DPA have been accused of not being at their most brave when faced by angry residents in open planning meetings.
This move, however, on balance, looks like a brave and worthy step forward which is to be welcomed.