Petition to keep beach cafe tenants in place

The petition has over 2,700 signatures gathered online and at the café

A petition to keep the current tenants of the Beach Cafe at Fermain Bay in place and stop any future development at the site has been delivered to Guernsey States.

The document was signed by more than 2,700 people online and in person.

Organisers said it was "unfair" the States was asking for expressions of interests in the site after leasing it to Belmiro and Manuela de Frietas for 21 years.

The States said allowing competitors to bid for the lease was "just good commercial practice".

'Sterling service to the community'

Andrea Lewis said the petition had "taken over her life" since she created it.

She had hoped to hand it directly to Mark Ogier, Director of Estates, but he was not in the office when she and her husband, Peter, delivered it to Sir Charles Frossard House on Friday.

Mrs Lewis said she hoped the States would allow the cafe to remain as it was, and if the lease must go out to tender, that they would view Mr de Frietas' tender "with the highest regard".

"The States have said they will allocate the lease to the strongest tender, and I think a petition of almost 3,000 people has to have some strength behind it," she said.

"After 21 years of sterling service to the community and building up a good business through sheer hard work, we felt it was very wrong that [Mr de Frietas] should be treated no differently to anyone who wanted to tender."

The site has been leased by the current tenants since 2003

In an earlier comment, Mark Ogier, Director of Estates, said, "We are obliged to ensure we are doing the best thing possible on behalf of the community with the important sites we look after.

"If the strongest submission received comes from the current tenant, the States will be more than happy to agree a renewal of the lease.”