Herm tight-lipped over ‘proposed buyer’
Saturday 30th August 2008, 11:30AM BST.
Adrian and Pennie Heyworth. (0585901)
A GUERNSEY resident is poised to take over the lease of Herm, an island insider has said.
Discussions are ongoing between the Treasury and Resources Department and a proposed new leaseholder for Herm and, while no official announcement has been made, an unnamed source said it was an individual who lived in Guernsey.
The Herm resident said the proposed leaseholder had said if word reached the media they would back out of the sale, but speculation has been steadily mounting since the lease was put up for sale in May for £15m.
Forty years remain of the 99-year lease.
The source said Herm was very familiar to the interested party but that they had no plans to move to the island full-time and were keen to preserve the island as it was.
Current leaseholder Adrian Heyworth confirmed in mid-July that three interested parties had been shortlisted.
Mr Heyworth and his wife Pennie then interviewed the three and put one forward for recommendation to Treasury.
The department has said it was still in discussion with the party proposed by the family.
If the department accepted the Heyworths’ recommendation, they will then be interviewed by the Lt-Governor, Sir Fabian Malbon.
Only then will details of the new leaseholder be made available.
Only one of the three has been made known to the public – the Von Essen group, a UK family-run hotel chain.
It said it could not comment further at this stage.
Mr Heyworth has said all negotiations were subject to agreement by the States, which retained the freehold.
He was unavailable for comment yesterday.
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Well it seem s as if once again the Guernsey people are kept in the dark.
Why? if one should be so audacious as to ask; if the would be buyer of the Forty year remaining lease, be such a good proposition; why then all the secrecy.
I fully remember the time of the ‘Major Wood’ transaction. It was kept secret until the deed was done.
Surely Guernsey people deserve s bit more than this ever increasing secrcy on mmany items belonging to GUERNHSEY people.
Report abuse
We have stayed on Herm many times. The excellent publication produced this year for the ‘Britain in Bloom’ competition shows what a superb community spirit exists on the island which reflects well on the permanent staff and the spirit they engender within seasonal staff. With so many of the key people having been there for many years, the future looks good for the new owners’ intentions to keep Herm as it is. It was Major Woods’ vision that started it all: Guernsey should commission a statue for him and his wife alongside the ferry ticket booth.
Report abuse