Town ‘would need to be more metropolitan’
Monday 23rd February 2009, 1:00PM GMT.
GUERNSEY will need to change if it is to benefit from the proposed luxury yacht marina at the Careening Hard, according to the site’s closest neighbour.
Manager of The Boathouse Alban Chapeau believes yacht owners brought attracted to the facility would bring money into Town.
‘It will be good,’ he said.
‘But it will also mean St Peter Port will need to become more metropolitan to encourage high earners to spend here.’
He recognised his business could benefit from increased trade but he was cautious. ‘Yacht owners do have a lot of money, however it does not mean they will necessarily spend it in Guernsey.
‘They are the sorts of people who are likely to bring everything they need, like food, with them.’
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I have to agree! Cafe culture seems to be a hit in several areas of Europe and in harbour towns! I would love to see the town front from the roundabout to the church made one way, with the other lane of traffic removed and paved, for pedestrians, cafes etc. It could transform the seafront and benefit the community financially and socially. I have always though the island needs to readdress the way it dresses the shores by removing the roads at the top of beaches and perhaps putting grass ares etc (like alot of beaches in Australia).
I think we have missed a trick here!
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I am going to be honest I think we should be concentrating on energy issues – fossil fuels are on their way out fast.
No heating or food forget the jetset.
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Unless I misunderstood, The harbour master, being interviewed on BBC radio Guernsey last week, said the proposed marina was to deal with an existing problem for local large yachts and was nothing to do with attracting luxury yachts etc etc to Guernsey. Can anyone clarify?
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I’m personally not that opposed to the the Careening Hard development. Marinas earn money and, assuming the maths have been done, why not?
I do however have concerns about the States ability to manage anything near water within budget. 23 million (top end) seems a heck of a lot of money for something smaller than St Sampsons that was around 8million?
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Careful Guernsey ! I’ve been visiting the Island for 34 years and whilst I agree trade would be good you need to maintain the beauty you all have there.
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Well said Anon 2. I agree with you as well Jackie. What I would like to see, though, is the total removal of traffic from the Crown/Victoria Pier. This pier is a fabulous resource that should be given over to a mix of restaurants/cafes and a green picnic area with seats and shelters for the enjoyment of islanders/visitors/yachties/town workers et al.
It’s almost a tragedy that this prime town centre space is no more than a dumping ground for ugly tin boxes, so shove those short term ‘shopper’ spaces from the Crown onto North Beach and reduce the number of commuter spaces there. All the town workers managed to get in during the fortnight when the bus station was based there, so no excuses really.
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Whilst definitely not wishing to see Guernsey over-commercialised, I agree with Anon 2 about cafe culture. We could do so much more, yet in a tasteful way, to promote the continental feel. Same as on the West coast – try to find somewhere to stop for a drink and enjoy the view over Cobo, Rocquaine etc – there’s nothing much. Some tasteful – I stress, tasteful – cafes that blended in would make the world of difference.
Not sure about the marina though!
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The proposed luxury yacht marina at the Careening Hard seems to forget that it’s full name is the Careening Hard and Spending Beach”.
For those who don’t know a spending beach is where the swell in the harbour spends itself. That is why those who built the harbour put it there. It is where the swell disapates therefore helping to keep the harbour as calm as possible.
People who say that it is a wasted part of the harbour are in ignorance of the fact that the spending beach part is working all the time, especialy in bad weather doing what it was put there for.
If a wall is built across the spending beach to create a marina there will be nowhere for the swell to disapate which will create a backwash across the harbour.
Even in relatively calm weather this would have a detrimental effect the sea conditions in the harbour. In rougher weather especialy easterly winds that backwash could make conditon severe indeed.
Go and look at the backwash in Havelet Bay when the sea hits the wall by the Slaughter House, especialy in easterly winds to see what I mean.
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As I see it the new marina will just become a boat park for those with large luxury vessels living off the island.
Yes we will get the mooring fees but i cannot see it will enhance the social life of the town, and how long would it take to recoup the 23 million, many many years.
We completely missed the boat by filling in North Beach, and not having several levels of carparking thereby enabling the Crown and Albert piers become pedestrianised.
Cafe culture will come once we get warmer Summers and Central European Time.
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Aaaah, cafe culture in Guernsey… Supping a biere overlooking an empty superyacht marina whilst hoodies and chavs stab each other and verbally abuse your partner for your entertainment.
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As a regular visitor I would worry that local cafes and restaurants would see a new golden goose and hike up prices. Then you the residents and we the visitors could not afford to eat in your beautiful town!
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A lot of you have good points.
MARTYN yes lets clear both the piers. We could go back to the plan of having several levels of car parking on the North Beach,it can be done as it is only infilled with sand,
VALDUBLON the West coast is the way forwards as once the sun moves from the Town at the end of the afternoon it doesnt lend itself to cafe culture.
PETE I totally agree with you about spending beach, thatš why the harbour was built that way by our ancestors who knew better. I would much prefer that Havelet be made into a marina, as it would be more cost effective and be wonderful for the island.
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>>PETE I totally agree with you about spending beach<<
Hold the front page. Did the consultants, if true, not pick that up? Of course they didn’t it would be unhelpful to the pre defined conclusion.
I love consultants – but I prefer local common sense.
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Sorry Jackie you talk about local common sense but don’t foget the Victoria Marina gates fiasco.
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Pete, that makes so much sense that it must surely be very embarrassing for any harbour offcial to not know that!
I see beauty when ever I look at the Careening Hard and feel quite appauled at the thought there are those who want to fill it in.
Change is important, but change must be for the right reasons and be right for the future, the environemtn and our heritage.
Heritage can not be bought, but it sure can be lost!
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Great – we attract wealth people to Guernsey but we wont let them spend their money on a Sunday!!
We need to wake up a bit – Super Marina for the wealthy?! We are hardly Monte Carlo now are we… Just what is there to attract people? Everything is overpriced as it is, Go for a pint in England & its about £2.50 – try getting a pint in town for anything like £2 – good luck… & the pubs are not half as good as the UK. So the rich come over & to make a buck, the businesses bump their prices up, thus overpricing everything for the already overcharged local man!!
Is Guernsey ready for a Super Marina for wealthy tourists?? Lets concentrate on looking after the locals before we worry about anyone else coming over here… Every election it seems we vote in more clowns that have no idea – i’m afraid there are too many States members that like seeing their own name in the media… this isnt some kind of ego trip – this is peoples lives you are messing with…
Forget all of these ambitious plans & sort OUR island out so us LOCALS can live a normal life….
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WH Bonney, couldn’t agree more. There is no sense in these ambitious plans other than feeble sound biting by inept public representatives, trying to make a bit of a name for themselves with crack pot ideas. What about the standards of the school buildings? Mental health care, protecting investors, spending money on the basic infrastructure of the island, solving the parking problem – without turning the sea front into a massive car park. You don’t have a decent cinema or theatre in Guernsey, facilities for the elderly, sea walls falling down etc etc. But hey ho, let’s try to compete with Monaco with a big new fancy marina, because I can see the mult-millionaires promenading outside Creaseys on a wet Sunday in August, without a glass of wine. They can keep going down to Cannes for a proper pose in warm weather. You can spout all you like about the weather and the conditions in the harbour. And why should the character be changed in Guernsey??? I love my island as it is thank you (I left 20 years ago but years of hopeless politians have done a pretty good job of trying to make the island look like a provincial middle-england town). Wake up!
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Valdubon – what price a cuppa in your tasteful cafe?
Would you like the staff to be happy and well remunerated, fit, tanned and attractive? To speak several languages well and give exemplary service?
No riff-raff allowed.
£20 a pot? £30?
£10 a slice of cake?
£30 for a crab sandwich?
It could’nt be done for much less, else you end up with the ambience of Student Bob’s posting.
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