Sark incinerator could be moved says expert

A new report has been published making recommendations for the island's harbour

A new report has recommended moving Sark's incinerator away from the island's harbour.

Simon Arroll, a maritime civil engineering expert, was brought in by the Sark Property Company to look at what improvements could be made.

He said if the incinerator was not replaced this year, he "sees no reason why the current incinerator should not be relocated".

The recommendation was made in a report on improvements to the harbour in Sark.

'Not very appropriate'

Mr Arroll is a marina and waterfront design, development and management expert with more than 40 years of experience.

He said: "If I'm a tourist and I land on Sark and I walk 100 yards and I look up to the right I see the chimney of the incinerator, which on a bad day is belching smoke.

"This is really not very appropriate in the modern age."

Other recommendations include installing a breakwater at the Maseline Harbour to provide better shelter for the ferries during northerly gales, alongside making a shelter for passengers and fitting the pier with a rail-mounted crane.

On the other side at Creux Harbour, Mr Arroll recommended improved gear storage facilities for the fishermen, a new café alongside toilets and showers for visiting yachtsmen.

Mr Arroll said the recommendations were "financially viable, technically and environmentally appropriate, and achievable within a useful timeframe".

'Positive options'

Conseiller Sandra Williams added: "It would be nice to have some disabled facilities down at the harbour to make it easier for people to come ashore.

"We could do with some nice toilets and changing rooms and shower rooms down there for visiting yachts."

Swen Lorenz, director of Sark Property Company, said: "We are not here to tell anyone what to do or to insist on any specific ideas, we just want the community to look at what I would describe as some positive options and something that could actually be done to improve Sark."