Chamber lunch: The Channel Islands, stronger connected [Sold Out]

The Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce an event that delves into the concept of a tunnel connecting the Channel Islands to France with the aim of bringing it to a reality.

The event on the 6 th of March is bringing together international experts and stakeholders to look at the benefits such a project would bring the islands with a sister event being held with the Jersey Chamber, further fostering cross-channel dialogue and collaboration.

Drawing inspiration from the successful completion of undersea tunnels in the Faroe Islands, the Channel Islands are poised to explore similar endeavours. Renowned tunnelling experts Arild. P. Sovik, Network Director at the Norwegian Tunnelling Society, and Teitur Samuelsen, CEO of Eystur- og Sandoyartunlar, will share their insights on the economic and social benefits of undersea fixed links.

The Faroe islands are world leaders who with a population of only 55,000, built two privately financed 11k sub-sea tunnels in the last four years alone. Investors have shown an interest in a local project and now the Jersey government has committed to a feasibility study looking at a tunnel or bridge between there and France.

CEO of Eystur- og Sandoyartunlar, the Faroe Islands government-owned tunnel corporation said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to share our knowledge and experience with fellow islanders. While our tunnels represent a fascinating engineering feat, their impact extends far beyond that—they have fundamentally reshaped the way we live and work on our islands.”

“We’re asking people to put aside their immediate scepticism as the potential benefits are vast,” said Alice Gill Chamber spokesperson. “Imagine hopping on a train for 15 mins to get a flight from Jersey airport – and what could another 70,000 customers do for the destination and airline options? Then what could we do with the space that our airport is on? Guernsey’s harbour has fewer physical restrictions in comparison to Jersey, it could become the main harbour for both islands. Then roll this out to all areas … tourism, healthcare, recruitment… The possibilities and potential benefits are huge – we would be so much stronger connected.”

The event, scheduled for Wednesday 6th of March, promises an enlightening discussion on whether the economic and social benefits witnessed in the Faroe Islands could be replicated in the Channel Islands.