Table set for alfresco summer dining in Town
Saturday 20th June 2009, 2:30PM BST.
Joe Clarke, manager of Quindici on the North Esplanade, just one of several seafront restaurants and businesses set to benefit from the initiative. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0792939)
THE Town seafront will be closed to traffic every Sunday this summer to make room for alfresco dining and entertainment.
Culture and Leisure minister Mike O’Hara revealed the decision yesterday after meeting business representatives, who welcomed the news.
Island Coachways also said it would support the move and adapt bus routes accordingly.
‘We want everybody to be able to enjoy the seafront and there will be restaurants open and we are looking to put on some entertainment,’ said Deputy O’Hara.
The first Sunday closure will be on 19 July and the last will be on 6 September. It will be in effect from 10am until 7pm.
He said more details of the entertainment would be revealed shortly.
Seafront bar and restaurant representatives who attended the meeting said they looked forward to it.
One such representative was Quindici manager Joe Clarke.
‘It’s a great idea, absolutely fantastic – especially if you have children,’ he said.
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oh what a great idea ,dosent inconvenience anyone as the buses don’t need to make a profit ,they get loaded up with public money anyway,whether they travel empty or not, but it would be nice if mr o’hara could get some flyers printed for the taxi using public ,explaining why their journey from the weighbridge to the havelet hotel is costing a hell of a lot more ,or why micky from the yacht has to do an island tour to get to st johns street ,it’s bad enough when roads are constantly closed and not being worked on ,that they have to be closed for FUN ,it might be quaint where you come from mr o,hara but nearly every road in guernsey is a main road for someone ,seems like one step nearer to the previously mooted (and seriously dozy) idea of making the seafront a pedestrian precinct
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don’t be such a killjoy, davee.
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How far will bus passengers have to walk to be soooo inconvenienced? Hardly a reason NOT to do this. Mr O’Hara well done for having a bit of imagination in order to create more community atmosphere during the summer months. I think this is a great idea for locals, tourists and families to get out and do some people watching. We are desperate to be more “continental” so let’s start doing it. There will always be a group of whiners in Guernsey won’t there?
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Well isn’t davee’s comment just typical of the mentality of so many staunch Guerns? Cordoned areas for al-fresco activities, entertainment and eating work well in so many places – god it even brings in business to some. But no, not here in Guernsey. That’d never work would it….
Well done the State for coming up with something positive. If people can’t deal with a diversion (that you know about in advance) on a Sunday then it says more about the moaners than it does about the people who came up with the idea.
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davee darling.
What exactly is wrong with doing something for ‘FUN’ as you put it? Us girls were all discussing this yesterday over a glass of fizz and we all agreed it’s a great idea. Can’t wait to sit outside the cafes along there and enjoy a G&T without sitting in exhaust fumes.
Lovely!
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I think this is a good idea and look forward to it. I enjoy eating in town on a Sunday as I am sure many others do.
As one of the people who will be inconvenienced by this (this is a ‘main road’ for me) I have to disagree with davee. What a killjoy!
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oh dear we have missed the point have’nt we (meep meep ) we are talking about people who have to transport fare paying passengers by the most direct route and trying to earn a living when most are out with their families , (angelina) we are sooooo not even talking about bus passengers and (me) yes most certainly a very staunch guern and fed up with the island suffering from the “english disease” and from most of the comments i can gather that most of them are from the english who work in banks.
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This is a great idea.
(Who knows, even some of us Guerns may enjoy the strolling along the seafront and eating outside on sunny Sundays)
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Me
Well isn’t davee’s comment just typical of the mentality of so many staunch Guerns?
no it`s not typical and it`s pathetic to make stupid sweeping statements like that,
i`m local and love the idea
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davee I’m ‘a Guern’ but am having a tremendous amount of difficulty following the logic behind your rhetoric. Could you explain how you come to the conclusion that anyone that wants to enjoy a stroll along the seafront must be an English bank worker. Further more what is wrong with that anyway?
Everyone I’ve spoken to, local or otherwise can’t wait for this or indeed any other future initiatives that break the car’s stranglehold on our beautiful island.
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@davee
Have you considered the possibility of increased demand for taxi services whilst this scheme is being run. No doubt with all that G&T flowing people will not want to drive home.
And BTW I am local and do not work in a bank!
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I am a local and i do work in a bank.
I think this is a fantastic idea as i thought it was the last time it was tried.
Last time it was killed by restauranteurs who are not along the front and had powerful friends in the states. Hopefully this time the wishes of the few won’t ruin it for the many.
My only problem is that it doesn’t go far enough.
Why only sundays. Surely closing in on saturday or even friday evening would be a lot more family friendly
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davee
You need to think laterally.
Disguise your taxi as a table and chairs.
Better still, a piano. Your fares would need to dress up as buskers for the effect to blend seemlessly, (a further revenue stream from costume hire).
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davee, I am a Guernsey person born and bred. I do not work in a bank. OK. Please do not make such generalisations, it only makes you appear stupid. You have not made your point clearly and therefore it has been jumped on by the majority of posters on this thread who support the initiative, it’s about time the States started some joined up thinking. Most places in the world have support services that assist the people not the other way round. Sundays will be changing in Town and the transport services are happy to adapt their routes (according to the newspaper report). I fail to see the problem and your ‘point’ has failed to convey one to me.
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BCB – You’re quite right, it was a sweeping statement and I apologise for the offence it may have caused. It is clear from this thread that Davee is not as symbolic of the ‘Guern mentality’ as I felt would be the case.
Unfortunately Davee adds fuel to the fire by using expressions such as “English Disease” – and frankly he shows his lack of intelligence, and his propensity to (for some reason) dislike the English regardless of the prevailing facts. Al Fresco dining is not an ‘English Disease’, hell it’s not even an English invention. So how is his dislike for the idea linking to his comments regarding an ‘English Disease’?
By the way – I notice that as soon as I used the words “typical of the mentality of so many staunch Guerns” it has automatically been assumed that I’m not local. Of course, there’s no way a local person could be ashamed of the mentality you display is there Davee?
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All of you guerns! So blimmin proud of stating to everyone ‘i was born and bred here’ its got nothing to do with you being guerns! calm down and leave poor Davee alone! You’ve all got so worked up about his harmless comment which is true if you open your eyesand read it properly ANOTHER road closure just for fun its a true statement he’s not moaning about the idea just ANOTHER road closure and there’s no way the whole of the front will ever be packed with people dinning its far too big a road to do it on, its not even half full when they close Le Pollet by Petit Bistro for alfresco dinning !
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Me
you are spot on with your post about davee as i`m sure he speaks for himself and nobody else, where ever they come from.
IHG
All of you guerns! So blimmin proud of stating to everyone ‘i was born and bred here’ its got nothing to do with you being guerns! calm down and leave poor Davee alone!
I wasen`t awere all of the guerns were posting that on here? how many heve you counted ? 5,10 maybe more?
i think poor davee can speak for himself unless you are the same person under using alias?
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@IHG
People stated they were born in Guernsey because davee suggested the nature of their comments meant they were not local.
Also I agree that we could never fill that road with diners but ‘if you open your eyes and read it properly’ it also says there will be entertainment.
And BTW people have the right to disagree with “poor Davee”, that’s what the forums are for.
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