The States of Guernsey’s awareness of the crucially-important value that the Town seafront and its surrounding area holds, as part of island life and the local economy, is at the heart of an enhancement programme which is underway.
Following States’ approval in November, the enhancement of the seafront area is one of the 23 priorities in the Policy & Resource Plan. A political-level steering group, with members representing various States’ committees, has been formed to oversee the programme’s progress.
Two primary work streams have been identified. The first is the development of an overall strategy for seafront enhancement, which will be built around extensive community consultation and engagement that will begin later this year. The second seeks to identify initial projects which can be carried out ahead of the preparation of an overall strategy andlead to a “spade in the ground” before October 2019.
The seafront and surrounding area are often described as the jewel in Guernsey’s crown and the steering group is focused on developing enhancement opportunities that will benefit the whole community without detracting from the existing visual appeal.
As part of the work to develop a long-term plan for the area, the Development & Planning Authority will start to prepare a draft Local Planning Brief, which will be informed by the results of the community consultation. The public will also have the opportunity to comment on the Brief, which will be subject to a public inquiry before being presented to the States for final consideration and approval. The Local Planning Brief will set out broad principles for enhancements of the seafront area.
Deputy Gavin St Pier, chair of the Seafront Enhancement Area Steering Group, said:
“We are very excited about the opportunities that the Seafront Enhancement Area programme presents. We expect the programme will secure significant economic, environmental and social benefits for the area. This programme of work is looking both to the long-term future of the area but also seeking to generate initial projects that will enable us to get a spade in the ground by autumn next year.
“Thinking about what enhancements we might want in place before we host the 2021 Island Games could be another driver. So it is vital that members of the community have the opportunity to offer ideas and provide feedback throughout and I would encourage everyone to engage. Any changes to the seafront and surrounding area must be shaped by and meet the requirements of our community.”
The Seafront Enhancement Area Steering Group consists of representatives from the Policy & Resources Committee, the Committee for theEnvironment & Infrastructure, the Committee forEconomic Development, the Committee forHome Affairs, the States’ Trading Supervisory Board and the Development & Planning Authority. Its objectives are to:
- Co-ordinate the approach of the States of Guernsey to the enhancement of the seafront, including the development of a master plan as part of a Local Planning Brief under the provisions of the Island Development Plan
- Identify and assess potential initial projects that could be in place or underway by the end of 2019 that are in line with the policies of the Island Development Plan and ahead of the Local Planning Brief
- Identify opportunities to work with community and business parties
An officer-level Working Group has also been established, drawing expertise from various areas of Government to advise the Steering Group and assist in the implementation of its decisions.
The Steering Group expects a continuous conversation to take place with the public about what it thinks should be included as part of any seafront enhancement and will be proactively engaging with the community to ensure views and opinions are captured.
In advance of the public consultation planned for later this year, should any member of the community wish to offer suggestions for the enhancement of the seafront they can do so by emailing doug.mackay@gov.gg.
