Town urgently needs a bold enhancement
I AM writing in response to the laudable proposal to enhance the Town seafront. I am a retired maritime civil engineer and would offer the following comments for consideration.
The seafront road between the Albert Pier and St Julian’s Pier covers a very complicated collection of underground services including water, drainage, foul sewage, electrical, etc. These would be very expensive to reroute and the deep excavation immediately in front of the seafront buildings would be very complicated.
The tunnel would be a large sealed box section with the top of its roof only just above mean spring tide level. The tunnel section would be buoyant and would require substantial ballast and anchoring.
The sensible location for such a tunnel would be hard up against the existing sea wall passing through the west side of Victoria Marina and the careening hard.
The tunnel would require entry and exit ramps that would make connection with the existing traffic system at the Albert Pier and St Julian’s Avenue very difficult.
The advantage of that option would be a greatly enhanced pedestrianised area (at the cost of some marina and harbour area). The seaward side of the tunnel would be encased in granite with a 3ft dwarf wall to keep spring tides out.
An easier and more rewarding scheme for seafront enhancement would be the following.
Build overlapping armoured rock dump walls (as the French have done at Saint-Quay-Portrieux) out from the castle and the eastern side of La Vallette bathing pools. These walls would break the south-easterly gales out there instead of against Castle Emplacement.
Havelet would remain an attractive tidal bay, but now with calm and sheltered water all year round for all water sports.
The massive southerly wall on Castle Emplacement could then be reduced to the current road level, freeing up a massive usable area, and the Havelet slipway could be permanently replaced. The south-easterly views from Town would be greatly enhanced and the Havelet Bay sea wall could be lowered to about 3ft. to prevent tidal flooding.
The section of rock wall going north from La Vallette could have paved pedestrian access for leisure and anglers.
This is the bold enhancement that St Peter Port urgently needs.
R F WHARTON
Pleneuf Court
St Andrew’s
GY6 8XP