'Intriguing' Green Line to key St Peter Port sites

The project was inspired by the Green Line in Nantes, which connects the work of artists, architects, landscape designers and urban poets

An "intriguing" Green Line designed to take walkers to key landmarks has started to appear on the streets of St Peter Port.

Trever Wakefield, a director of Guernsey Arts - which is behind the project, said: "It's a very simple concept, it's just a green line on the floor and you walk through the town, follow the line and you'll see lots of different things."

He said people were intrigued about the trial Green Line and have put forward "all sorts of theories" about its purpose and hopes it will "whet the appetite".

The trial line takes people from the Liberation Monument to the Victor Hugo Bench and if it is a hit with the public Guernsey Arts plans to extend the line to cover 5km (3 miles).

If the public approve Trevor Wakefield hopes to extend the Green Line

They hope to install the full line across St Peter Port from Hauteville House to Candie Gardens "taking in lots of places of interest" if it wins public approval during the trial, which runs until December.

It was inspired by the 20km (12.5 miles) Green Line project in Nantes in north west France, which connects the work of artists, architects, landscape designers and urban poets and takes people to artworks in the city.

Mr Wakefield said the line had already helped people to discover landmarks they did not know about, such as the Titanic Memorial which commemorates the 14 people who had Guernsey connections and died when the liner sank.

He said the walking line will also take people to Fountain Street and help them discover stories like the history of the fountain, which the street was named after, made by the sculptor who created the fountain at The Plantation and added: "There are lots of little stories like that."

The idea has been four years in the making and Mr Wakefield said it was a "low-tech project" with printed guides available from the tourist information centre, as well as downloadable information.

There are also plans for information in French.

Mr Wakefield said work had been delayed in the quest to find paint which could be removed if it gets a thumbs down.

However, he said when workers started painting it passers-by told him "this is a really good idea".

The line - being trialled until December - runs through St Peter Port seafront