There’s more to this than filling a hole
AS A Vale boy it is not surprising that I see more beauty in our northernmost parish than many others seem to.
The Vale may be rather overdeveloped – far more so than when I grew up there – but it remains gorgeous.
There are few better views anywhere in Guernsey than Bordeaux Harbour on a high spring tide in summer with its traditional boats swinging gently on their moorings. The vista out east past the Tommy Rock to Herm and Jethou in the distance just adds to that magic.
Then of course there is L’Ancresse. The common is probably the biggest swathe of open land we can enjoy on our crowded little rock. Not to mention the golden strips of sand at both L’Ancresse and Pembroke bays. They are the match of any other beach in Guernsey to my, admittedly biased, point of view.
The Vale’s attractions go far wider than that. If you meander through its network of small lanes, rather than sticking to the main roads, the parish is steeped in character and little pieces of ‘old Guernsey’. I often walk those lanes and among the most arresting sights, which always make me pause in contemplation, are the Vale’s many water-filled quarries.
They may have been born out of a noisy, dusty industrial process but they have long been reclaimed by nature. They are beautiful oases which not only delight the eye but support a range of flora and fauna. So to this Vale boy, it would be tragic to start filling them with waste again.
I am not against landfill per-se. I can see the case for filling Les Vardes once its reserves of granite have been exhausted. From a purely pragmatic point of view I see a case for Longue Hougue quarry being filled as it is close to an existing waste handling facility, albeit with a major road in between. Of course it is also one of Guernsey’s biggest reservoirs and if this summer has taught us anything it is surely not to take our water reserves for granted.
That said, I know Les Vardes is also earmarked for water storage, but I question how much further we need to increase our capacity. Perhaps a swap with Les Vardes becoming a reservoir while Longue Hougue is used for waste disposal would make sense? Particularly if all the stories are true about sea water ingress at Longue Hougue. Anyone know if they are?
The real point is that I am not saying ‘no’ to the filling of quarries with rubbish, ever, under any circumstances. Indeed I was a party to the practice in the past including earmarking Bordeaux for general waste and St Germain quarry in the Castel for inert waste. It is a natural thing for any community to do with holes created by its industrial past. All I am saying is that before doing so we should consider what we would be losing given that in many cases these former quarries are now genuine beauty spots.
Of course it is very easy to say what not to do with our inert waste but far harder to make any positive suggestions. I suppose the other obvious option is land reclamation. The trouble is, that too is controversial.
With respect, I think the successful amendment from Emilie Yerby asking for land reclamation north of Mont Cuet to be considered was pie in the sky. And expensive pie in the sky at that. To be fair, I suppose the real intention was simply to ensure other options than just Longue Hougue/Spur Bay were considered and to that extent it seems to have worked.
Certainly if plan A does still go ahead it would be ironic as we would be reclaiming exactly the bit of coast that former deputy Ivan Rihoy raided Guernsey’s rainy day fund [later repaid] to preserve. I would also feel very sorry for the few residents of the area, but I am still to be convinced that it isn’t the least bad option.
To be honest, the only thing that worries me about the plan (other than the obvious environmental impact) is the idea that it could be viewed by some as a stalking horse for further reclamation in Belle Greve Bay itself.
Let me put my cards on the table. I would be 100% against that. I have marched against it before and would willingly do so again.
Yes it is a rocky beach, not a sandy one. That is exactly what makes it one of the most important inter-tidal zones around Guernsey. As for the aesthetics – well it may not be everybody’s cup of tea but from half-tide up, looking eastwards across to the islands, I think it is totally stunning. Could we preserve that view after reclamation? No of course not. Artificial coastlines don’t look anything like natural bays.
Anyway it is really not my point of view which counts. The people of Guernsey have made it clear to their States time after time that they want us to keep our hands off their bay. True, there has never been a proper opinion poll on the matter, but the scale of the public protests left me in little doubt.
What is it about some politicians and some business leaders which makes them continue to obsess about development in Belle Greve? Why can’t they leave well alone? What part of ‘no’ do they not understand?
