Parts of harbour operations should be self-funding
IF YOU build it they will go... It seems many of us have completed the harbour plan survey and I know many of us are very frustrated and annoyed that some questions provide for only set answers, forcing one to choose from options that none of us would support.
On these occasions, I have skipped the answers and left a comment, though no doubt my response to the survey will now be considered 'incomplete'.
It seems that the survey is solely there
so it can be said a survey took place and so that convenient stats can be pulled from it.
Again the marina fees comparison is disingenuous to the extreme. South coast of England marinas, particularly the business-owned commercial ones, are some of the most expensive in Europe. Why are no nearby French marinas included, which have facilities much more akin to ours? Because some are cheaper, and most are on a par, with fees charged in Guernsey.
Each part of the harbour operation should be self-funding wherever possible, not cross-subsidising.
If someone can prove that local marina mooring fees (for instance) don't cover the cost of ongoing maintenance then many would no doubt support some form of sensible uplift in fees, but I understand that mooring fees are already cross-subsidising other areas.
Lastly, low-to-mid earners in Guernsey are now finding it difficult to get on the housing ladder, transactions are at a record low. Boat ownership should not also be priced out of the range of the average Guernsey person. The population is already decreasing in size as locals feel more and more disenfranchised.
Name and address withheld.
