THE redevelopment of Belle Greve Bay would be a major boost to the island’s yachting scene. That is the claim of Guernsey Yacht Club commodore Alan Richards, who said if plans for Little Venice went ahead, Guernsey would be able to welcome larger superyachts.

‘I am led to believe and understand that there is the demand from larger yachts to come and moor in Guernsey.

‘At the moment anything larger than 50 or 60ft has to go to Havelet.

‘My view is that any development that leads to an ability to get more visiting yachts into Guernsey would be a good thing.’

In addition to the size restriction, Mr Richards said that there was a lack of space.

‘If it leads to an easing on the space for moorings, it would be very popular among our members.’

Long Port has proposed an integrated sewage and waste plant, a five-star hotel and shops on North Beach, plus underground car parking spaces and a housing and marina reclamation development, leading it to be dubbed Little Venice.

Mr Richards agreed with environmentalist and ornithologist Vic Froome’s view that narrowing the Little Russel would have an impact on boaters, as the speed of the current would increase.

‘That is true.

‘It’s also almost inevitable that

it would happen, but it would need an official study to be carried out first.’

Seals in Belle Greve Bay would be a thing of the past if Little Venice gets the go-ahead, an expert has claimed.

The Hardwick family, who have lived opposite the bay for the past three years, woke yesterday to see a seal swimming near the shore. They recorded its movements on a digital camcorder.

‘We are used to seeing different types of birds, but not seals,’ said Kay Hardwick. ‘At first it looked like a rock. It was in our view for about 10 minutes while we videoed it, before it swam away.’

But Charles David, joint manager of the Guernsey Biological Records Centre, said a similar sighting would not happen at Little Venice.

‘It most definitely won’t,’ he said.

‘You will completely change the habitat if you put these islands in place.

‘And if they create a lagoon like they say they will, you take away a whole beach which is used by birds and marine life.

‘It will pretty much mean that some internationally-rare species will vanish from our shores.’

Because of its size, the Hardwicks believed the creature might have been a sea lion, but Mr David thought otherwise.

‘You don’t get sea lions around this part of the world. It would most likely be a grey seal. They breed on the Humps ‘north of Herm’ and occasionally come to shore.’

Robert Hardwick said he was against Long Port’s plans for Little Venice.

‘At the moment everyone seems to be in favour of the developers, but you would lose a lot of habitats and you would no longer get to see any of the wildlife that we saw out of our window this morning.

‘If it gets done, we’ll also lose all the views out to sea of Sark and Herm and it will spoil the rest of our harbour, which I think is one of the most picturesque in the world.’