New agency gets £250,000 for Guernsey's east coast

The agency will oversee the development of the island's east coast

A new group has been set up by Guernsey's States to oversee the development of the island's east coast.

The Guernsey Development Agency has a budget of £250,000 for wages over the next 30 months.

Businessman Peter Watson has been appointed chair, while Simon Kildahl and Louis Le Poidevin are directors.

Deputy Charles Parkinson, States Trading Supervisory Board Vice-President, said it was "an exercise in kicking the can down the road".

'Gentle evolution'

Deputy Peter Ferbrache, President of Policy and Resources, said he hoped the new agency would lead to progress in redeveloping the island's harbour.

"I'd like to see them develop it and I am talking about the whole east coast not just St Peter Port, develop it sympathetically in line with what we've got," he said.

"We don't want to see big skyscrapers, we won't see big skyscrapers, I'm sure.

"We want to see a gentle evolution, in some cases a revolution when it comes to the pool marina, over the next five, 10, 15, 20 years."

The BBC spoke to people in Guernsey about their preferences for change.

Christopher Lucas would like to see an underground car park at North Beach

Charity worker Ellie Jones said she would like to see "more al fresco restaurants", alongside "more things to do in town that don't revolve around alcohol".

Christopher Lucas wanted to see a new underground car park underneath North Beach car park, which he said should be "replaced with a park".

Deputies rejected plans for an underground car park at North Beach in 2021, in a debate which started the sequence of events which led to the setting up of this development agency.

Cyclist Calum Simons said more parking was not needed in St Peter Port.

Cyclist Calum Simons said more parking was not needed

Leaders agreed with a proposal from Deputy Yvonne Burford that approval must be sought by deputies on land or buildings which are leased from the States for periods over 25 years.

Deputies must also agree before land, buildings, or assets are transferred from States ownership to the agency, its agents, investors or partners.

But, Mr Parkinson expressed doubts about the agency and said: "Normally when you have a development agency you decide you're going to do a project and then you hand the project over to them to deliver it.

"But the States are basically asking the agency to tell us what the project is, which is a policy issue which falls squarely into the responsibility of the States, we have to make that decision and we should have made that already."

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