Tourism needs a holistic approach
A DECISION by the States to extend the number of exemptions for changes to properties from formal planning applications is as sensible as it is overdue – limited changes were last introduced in 2009 – and should, as the president of the Development and Planning Authority said, help oil the wheels of the economy.
Having to apply for permission to remove a dead hedge before replacing it with new plants made sense only to bureaucrats and micro-managers. Insisting, as the new relaxations do, that fresh plantings need to be of native species and outside bird nesting season is simple common sense.
More interesting, however, was the reaction of some States members to the proposals to make it easier for owners of derelict hotels to convert them to residential use.
The thrust was that the States know better than the business running it whether a hotel is profitable or not and should therefore have the final say in what happens to the premises. Lost on them, apparently, is the consequences of such an approach – just look at Le Chalet, St Margaret’s Lodge and Idlerocks.
Tourism is a priority for the island but its long-term strategy is still a work in progress, as are plans to improve Guernsey as a destination. What the recovery taskforce comes up with in this area will be crucial for the economy.
It is also clear that it will need to be a holistic approach. Accommodation is an essential part of the mix as will be service levels and staffing, ease and cost of getting here, and there being a reason to do so.
What many forget is the links Guernsey has are dependent on the resident and tourist passenger, so getting connectivity improvements and/or cheaper fares can only be achieved by growing the visitor and business sector through fit-for-purpose ports.
In short, there is a bigger picture to concentrate on, rather than fretting over whether Planning should decide whether a tired, failing hotel should close or whether that’s best left to its owners.
Instead, States members should be asking themselves what they can do to make the new Premier Inn and the island’s remaining accommodation sector a success.