Rising sea levels: Let’s not make hasty decisions based on ‘expert’ predictions

The facts are, there have always been huge storms from time to time going back to biblical times.

In more recent times there was an exceptionally violent storm that hit the east coast of Guernsey on 28 December 1821, causing damage to many houses and properties bordering the quay. It took the States some 10 years to get agreement to construct the new road at Glategny Esplanade (paid for by property owners bordering the seafront). The agreement was that the property owners

were assured that in perpetuity the seawall fronting all the properties would not exceed three feet in height.

The building of St Peter Port Harbour was started in 1853 and completed a few years later and St Sampson’s Harbour was developed over the first half of the 19th century. All the quays and walls still exist today very much as they were over 150 years ago.

There is occasional flooding in these areas but it is no worse now than it has been over the decades. I do not hear any calls for the development of these areas to combat any predicted rise in sea level.

I do not believe that the current doomsday predictions of the flooding of L’Ancresse Common has any substance. Pre-war photographs of L’Ancresse would seem to support that flooding did not occur then. If there was a rise in sea levels, there would be far more damage caused to the east coast of the island with a far-reaching economic outcome long before anything that might happen at L’Ancresse Common.

Any rise in sea levels will not happen overnight or indeed over decades. There will be plenty of time to decide the way forward if the signs show the predictions to be true. It might be found that with the change in global warming, prevailing winds may change and other areas of the island will be threatened or we may be better protected by the European land mass. Who knows?

Let’s not act in haste spending money on areas that may never be threatened.

I am sure there will be plenty of time to make informed decisions albeit, in my view, not in any of our lifetimes, except perhaps the very youngest.

TERRY DOWINTON,

Address withheld.