Deep-water berth is a necessity

The absolute necessity to secure all seaborne shipments of goods and people to the island was totally apparent 25, even 35-plus, years ago.

The island was awash with money in the 1990s but the States of Guernsey Assembly then, and successive Assemblies since, have not taken this eastern seaboard/berthing problem on board. It does seem bit like too little too late, but starting the process immediately for the benefit of future generations is better than turning a ‘blind eye’.

The advantages of a deep water berth in the Bulwer Avenue/Longue Hougue/St Sampson’s area:

1. Secure long-term safe berthing for fuel and all goods and materials to be delivered to Guernsey regardless of tidal or weather conditions the majority of the time.

2. In close proximity to freight and shipping/delivery areas.

3. In close proximity to ‘waste separation and preparation facility for shipping waste zone’.

4. Reduces ‘heavy’ freight traffic considerably between Bulwer Avenue and St Peter Port.

5. Eradicates large marine traffic in/out of St Peter Port harbour thereby allowing this fantastic harbour to expand into probably one of the prettiest and best visitor marinas in western Europe.

6. Cruise ships would be able to dock at the deepwater berth and land visitors far more easily and frequently. The visitors will not be put off by ‘landing’ in a commercial ‘zone’ as this is the norm at many large European ports, often up to a couple of kilometres from buses, taxis and other transport and indeed the city or town.

7. Would use the bond that the States of Guernsey took out, wisely, for a long-term investment for the island’s future.

8. No need any longer for the ‘double hulled’ fuel boats and St Sampson’s could become another marina, local or otherwise.

Disadvantages:

1. The cost would probably be more than the remaining part of the SoG bond. (This project should have been done in the 1990s when there was a lot of money coming into the island.)

2. A lot of disruption for two, three or four years on the northern part of the eastern seaboard during the project.

Summary: This project is not a ‘luxury’, it is vital to ‘future proof’ the island both for residents and tourists alike.

The four master mariners who have largely been ignored so far need to be listened to and far more information put in the public domain as to how far spending £830,000 on the project and outside consultants has got the island.

If this large project was done properly there is then scope for returning St Peter Port to its former glory – before the car took over – and considering an electric tramway on the east coast for residents and cruise passengers alike. We keep getting informed by VisitGuernsey that more and more cruise companies and people want to visit and we have spent quite a lot of the public purse encouraging this.

S. FOSS,

Guillemont, Braye Road,

Vale, GY3 5QS.