‘Cyber-park’ set to boost the island’s economy
Friday 12th March 2010, 2:30PM GMT.
An overhead view of the 3D model of the technology park. The square empty space towards the bottom left is the Alliance car park with, beyond it, the Moonpig.com building and, with the circular water tank, the Guernsey Press. Saltpans Road forms the right-side boundary. (0931133)
THE island’s economy could receive a massive boost after plans for a £250m. technology park were unveiled last night .
The Guernsey Technology Park, at the Saltpans, has been described as a ‘Rolls-Royce’ development that could attract global companies from a range of industries.
The Long Port Group bought the 16.5-acre site in April 2008 for £7.3m. and has now been given planning permission in principle.
Invited guests attended the project’s official launch and heard Long Port chairman Charles Billson say: ‘The Guernsey Technology Park is a major investment in the future of Guernsey and will provide an offshore centre of excellence to provide the necessary infrastructure for cyber commerce.’
The park will provide space for a variety of industries, including general and light industry, data centres, disaster recovery and fulfilment.
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let us see how many do-gooders complain about this…
guernsey could go back to growing toms…..
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The area is already built up, if it has trees all around, as shown by the drawing then I can’t see any reason against it.
I hope that the companies using this operation will employ local people, instead of hiring from England and other countries.
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A good news story.Let’s hope something happens a bit faster than the Leales Yard marathon.
Just one thought though. This site was a vinery.
How often do we read about the little Guernseyman being refused permission to build a modest bungalow for his ailing son on a derelict glasshouse site,yet this big company gets the green light.
Any thoughts Eric?
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This is a fantastic project – just what Guernsey needs to help it to diversify and broaden the economy. Let’s hope that the island’s housing licence policies don’t kill it before it starts – the companies establishing here are inevitably going to want to bring in senior management to help create the resulting jobs for locals.
Ray – do I sense a degree of winding up there ?!! I’m quite sure that Eric will take the bait.
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Along with 1000s of others I marched twice against Charles Billson’s crazy plan to desecrate Belle Greve Bay but, credit where credit is due, this seems on the face of it to be a great plan for an area that is just an unused piece of wasteland at present.
I think you’re entirely wrong, Ray, to compare this plan with glasshouse sites where people want to make a fast buck by building a ‘modest bungalow’. As far as I can see there is no residential development included in the Guernsey Technology Park project so the two simply cannot be compared.
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Forgot to add that in my comment, completely agree Ray, if I want to have an extra window on looking to my road, I would be refused. But if I was to build a huge industrial estate where my green house once, and I turned into an Englishman I’d be welcomed with open arms!
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Who exactly ARE the ‘do-gooders’, Baphomet? Those who don’t want to see our island totally dominated by finance, or those who don’t wish to have the island covered in concrete the same way that a certain confectionary co covers theirs with chocolate…?
It seems that everyone here so far is in favor of this much needed development, that welcomes a diversity of industries by using some redundant land, and it certainly seems like a good idea to me…
so much for your vague ‘theory’ on that one.
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This looks absolutely amazing.
Lets hope the airport runway is sorted out before all this goes ahead. Then the workforce that will inevitably be brought in from other countries will be able to travel easily and at a reasonable cost.If shopping facilities were also improved and vacant premises brought to life again I could see Guernsey once again becoming the vibrant place it used to be. I worked in Guernsey during 60′s/70′s and visit on a regular basis. I find the deterioration distressing and can only imagine how locals feel as they watch their beautiful island being spoiled through mis-management and incompetence.
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Whilst I agree that this could be good for future proofing our business diversity and should create local employment.
How come they have already “sold” 1 building to a UK company?
They have not even been given planning pemission, only agreement in princible.
If this is true, it does not bode well for the supposed impartiality of the Environment Dep in the upcomming Spruce requete.
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Sounds like a good idea, will create jobs and boost the economy, although if GG had his way it would not get off the ground, very forward thinking GG. Not sure about your anti english comments, are we being a bit narrow minded?? Oh and GG does the local housing license system not prevent hiring long term workers from elsewere, surely this kind of development will povide long term prospects for local people?? or do you just like a good moan?
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Diversify or die. The future is not Orange, the future is Global Guernsey. This is a fantastic opportunity for investment, commerce, employment and the future of Guernsey.
Guernsey will be crazy to miss this opportunity.
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I have nothing against English people, just the fact that the island is already pretty full, we don’t have enough housing as it is, and there are plenty of unemployed local people which can happily fill those positions, as long as they have the correct experience + qualifications.
@Barbara, it’d be nice to have the runway developed, but I really can’t see how the States will afford it, especially if they go with the proposed Suez incinerator. They should’ve done the runway before the airport, the new one isn’t any bigger.
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This is a great news story for Guernsey. The island is in desparate need for highly specified industrial units. Long time coming, long overdue. Great stuff.
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Whilst I agree this may be good for the economy in th elong term, you can be sure all of the construction work WILL be done by UK companies as it was in St Julians Avenue.
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No need to import outside labour while we have pupils of E&P’s standards from the bashed boy story
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You can be sure that the construction will be done by cheap non local labour just like the Royal site.
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The Island is 24.5 sq. miles,static amount of roads and 70,000 plus people.
This will bring in 1,000 more people into the Island, needing all the services with more roads closed. You can not close route Militaire without shutting the North down, because of the one way systems.
We will have to build more than the 500 homes already needed, putting our population above 80,000.It will all be cheap labour that is employed.
Guernsey people just wake up, you are again being taken for mogs.
The cheap labour brought in does not pay enough towards all the social security, now needed to pay the unemployment.
We now have people from different counties, after 26 weeks claiming.
This will not benefit the Island as a whole,and i do believe that this project will cost Islanders more than we get back.
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Bring back tomatoes I’m a do gooder what are you.?
bring back our greenhouses to grow our own food.
we don’t need the greedy money Gods ruining more land
Equal money System coming soon. why don’t you go and build your horrible buildings where human beings are starving and give them a job we need the space to
grow more food How come you can build there anyway and where does the money come from and how much will it cost the tax payer and what deals have you got with the states.?
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Equet
I have a problem with your maths. You say that we have 70,000-plus people on the island today (more like 64,000 I think you will find). You then say that this new development will need us to bring in 1,000 extra people and build 500 new homes, and that the population would rise to 80,000.
I don’t think I need my calculator to confirm to me that 64,000 plus 1,000 would be 65,000, not 80,000 !
Maybe you haven’t noticed, but the trend is for growing unemployment and it is very likely that the financial services industry will contract, not expand. The intention is to diversify Guernsey’s economy so that it is not so dependent on finance. It may well require some short-term immigration to get it started (and especially to build it), but if this project succeeds then in 5 years time Guernsey will have managed to achieve a significant diversification of the economy which will be of huge benefit to all islanders.
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Whilst any diversification of the Guernsey economy is to be welcomed, any proposal such as this needs to be given careful scrutiny.
Where is the bulk of the £259 million coming from?
Who will be picking up the tabs for the various infrastructure costs? is it the taxpayer?.
How much of the created wealth will remain in Guernsey? How much of the profit will go “off island”?
Those who remember the previous Longport proposals will recall that what at first seemed such a good idea wasn’t so taxpayer and local friendly as it seemed.
Perhaps we should wait for answers and cast iron assurances (not letters of comfort), and amendments to make the idea even more local Guernsey friendly.
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@David, so we’ll just build 500 houses on all our land which we have? You could build a 20-odd storey building in your back garden if you like, since you think they’ll benefit us that much?
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maybe the states should debate this :-)
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GG
Sorry, you’ve lost me with your last post. It wasn’t me who said that we needed 500 new homes, it was Equet. I was just questioning his flawed maths.
But now that you mention it, there is plenty of room to build quite a few new houses on derelict vinery sites, which are totally useless to everyone. Tasteful, sensible regeration of suitable sites without windfall profits for the vinery owners has to be the way forward. Does anybody seriously believe that our current derelict vinery sites will still be undeveloped in say 20 years time ? If left untouched, the noxious weeds will be as tall as trees and the rats will be mistaken for Guernsey cows. It has to change at some point.
I’m not advocating that we build on all vinery sites – far from it. But there must be half a dozen ideal sites for prime development dotted around the island.
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I’d rather see derelict vinery sites than new buildings any day.
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If finance is set to contract, how come we need so many empty offices as “disaster recovery” suites pretending to be light industry?
Why couldn’t the developer buy a Braye Road house for access, rather than Route Militaire? – Answer – they don’t want access through Braye Road.
No need for four storeys, either.
Agricultural sites are only useless to those that don’t eat.
Casebow had an interesting piece in the Press the other day, suggesting we are going to need all our land to grow food on.
There’s plenty empty space already available – NRG, Jones Bradburn, etc. for those industries that want to pay well over the odds. Guernsey needs cheaper industrial space, and emphatically NOT exclusively expensive developments like this, with MASSIVE windfall profits for the owners. There is a place for specific new industries, and larger custom-built facilities too, but not over the whole of this site.
The site was supposedly zoned to help LOCAL industry, as Leale’s yard among others were redeveloped. Bringing in UK firms that will pay next to nothing in local tax, and employ UK consultants to fly in and tinker with the servers as required isn’t going to secure our long-term future.
Most of the clients Longport want are finance based or serving, so this is already looking to become another Admiral Park.
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I am a local Human Resources Manager and I can tell you from the many many recruitment days I’ve done for Social Security that there are jobs out there for the vast amount of people – however from the people who showed up drunk, not interested, or didn’t show at all I can tell you that the problem starts before the interview process. However, the vast amount of my employees are from the island, as is the case with all businesses here. And how many generations back do we have to go to be called “local”?
I use off island recruitment as a last resort as of course it’s more cost effective to recuit locally! No licence application fees, no relocation fees, no excess lawyers costs trying to extend licences yadda yadda yadda.
The junior less skilled roles will go to local people, as the business develops these local people will be promoted as it makes business sense! Recruiters won’t recruit off island unless they have to.
All through these stories there is a strong xenophobic theme being disguised as patriotism. I find it worrying.
This is just my opinion, however, being local and being a recruiter I think I have the relevant experience to be making an educated comment.
I for one am for this scheme. Any one who is interested in Guernsey’s financial place will know that we have dropped out of the top 20 finance locations in the world. We need to be ensuring Guernsey’s future for our children, and making sure there are jobs for them. Sorry but yesterday’s gone lets stop dwelling in the past and move to the future!
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GG | March 16, 2010 at 1:28 pm
“I’d rather see derelict vinery sites than new buildings any day.”
that is a very sad statement…may i ask how old you are?
you sound around 75 to 80…stuck in the “good” old days when you could get a large states grant to grow toms…not many left now…i wonder why?
just let the island grow and evolve as it should and stop trying to hold on to the 19th century…we are now in the 21st by the way.
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Baphomet | March 16, 2010 at 11:36 pm
GG | March 16, 2010 at 1:28 pm
“I’d rather see derelict vinery sites than new buildings any day.”
that is a very sad statement…may i ask how old you are?
you sound around 75 to 80…stuck in the “good” old days when you could get a large states grant to grow toms…not many left now…i wonder why?
just let the island grow and evolve as it should and stop trying to hold on to the 19th century…we are now in the 21st by the way.
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Infact, I’m not even a quarter of 80, I’m still a student. You just sound like the typical Englishman, coming over here wanting it to look like a typical city in the UK, or as built up as St Helier in Jersey.
These vinery sites would look much better if they were to be cleared up and made into woodland walks, or perhaps just trees grown in their place.
I, as a local person do not want the island to look like Jersey, have you seen how overcrowded it is over there? All the buildings? All the migrants?
I have nothing against this proposed “Cyber-park”, but perhaps if it were kept under 3 storeys, and the local man was given more freedom by the IDC, then it would be even better!
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To David you must work in an office, shows how you count.
There are at least 70,000 people here already, wake up David.
500 new homes with 2 people per home will, be filled by 80% non locals coming in to the Island. Just as Jerseys new Waterfront block of flats, has done.
The new Park will bring in more non locals, about 1,000 with more service people needed as well.
That makes 70,000+ 8,000 in new houses + 2,000 new park and services = 80,000.
To Lynnie. This is not about local and non local, as far as l am concerned. This is our Island and it people, that we all love being used and the carpetbaggers, making use of both of us.
I have employed many different nationality over the last 40 years, and you must remember, that every country has its lazy and useless ones.
Most of the good ones travel abroad to find work, but even some of them are not always good.
The trouble is now that we have a large number of those now claiming benefit. As an Islander born here and having and still paying tax and insurance for 45 years, without claims. I like lots of my friends, who are not born here, but are as local as me and love and care as l do, about Guernsey.
All of us should be concerned that, this Island is being used, it may be more subtle than the Viking, but will have the same end.
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Equet
You’re having a laugh…70,000 plus here at the moment ? Where are they all living ? How many units of housing have been built since the last official census in 2001 when the census figure was 59,807 ? By your calculations if 70,000-plus are living here now, then based on your 2 people per home that’s roughly 5,500 new units of housing built in the last 9 years ! Totally impossible. You are way, way out.
And why will it all be non-locals coming in ? Far more likely to be redeployment of existing banking staff as that’s the sector of the finance industry which is most exposed.
The logic of your 70,000 is totally flawed I’m afraid. You then go on to talk about another 10,000 on top, taking it to over 80,000 !
Utter garbage, I’m afraid.
I suspect you are one of the first to moan about our over-reliance on the finance industry. The island has been seeking viable alternatives to enable us to diversify for the past decade or so. How on earth do you think that’s going to happen ? We have to have the foundations in place before diversification is remotely feasible.
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Oh yes Equet I love how this is making everyone debate and am proud that our islanders (regardless of their heritage) are so passioante about where they live. It’s really very inspirational.
However, we are not able to sustain ourselves with growing local produce as was the rather picturesque post card image a few years ago. That hayday has passed us. We must move on to new areas. One’s that will hopefully enrich the island and provide economic growth for the future of it’s residents!
But when we start blaming problems with unemployment on the nasty imigrants coming in and taking our jobs then I will speak up. Anyone who is willing to work I guarantee you that there is a job out there for you. It may not be as much pay as you would like, it may involve working hours outside of 9-5 Monday to Friday may even mean that you have to put soem effort into that interview but it’s work.
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Equet
Please explain where you get your figures from. 70,000+ people living here already? 10,000 more required?
Your posts lose the little validity they had when you spout such erroneous figures.
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According to the CIA’s world fact book: 65,484 (July 2009 est.)
Which is more than enough, I agree. But Equet, you have got your numbers wrong, sorry.
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it was just a wild guess GG…
i am local by the way.
i also grow toms and keep chickens…but you cant live on eggs all day.
also it is no good thinking the island can go back in time, must only go forwards.
without projects like this, how are we going to sustain growth?
do you think the old will all die at 65? if you all want a few years of the good life before you croak, you will need a much bigger workforce to pay for healthcare and pensions.
the island needs to grow and it needs to do it now…..not in 15 years time, it will be far too late then. i dont want to have to pay 40% tax just before i stop working…do you?
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I must say I almost find Equet’s comments amusing – they’re completely farcical!
I’m a local through and through, and have absolutely no problem with non-locals coming in to take the jobs. As Lynnie pointed out, there are plenty of jobs out there which some locals just aren’t interested in. Obviously, priority should be given to local people for employment, but if the willingness is not there then by all means find a willing non-local to take the position.
I think the park would be a great development for our Island.
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@Baphomet, yes I think this project should go ahead, but all I was saying is I’d much rather see woodland parks, or perhaps vegetable patches for people to grow fresh produce, would be much better than more housing for foreign people.
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I was just using the kind of maths that our States use on projects, if you can believe there’s you can believe mine.
The serious side is there is at least 70,000+ in this Island.
If you do not think this is correct, just ask taxi drivers,postmen, people who read meters etc.
Some of the two bedroom flats have as many as 10 people in them.
I will not go into detail, but Lynnie and Dan, we are different Guernsey people and l do not agree with all your views and you the same.
There are a lot of people fed up with the remarks you keep making, they are ones who have built this Island up to what it is now.
They are donkeys, and are not fooled by the ones, who give a pound to you in one hand and take two in the other, while raping the Island.
The world is changing fast and your material life, will have to change whether you like it or not. Your ridicule of Guernsey people who do not agree with you, always goes back to tomatoes and fishing. As one who did both, it was not a bad life, but l know those days have gone.
Yet you do see more people who have part time smallholding now, and its not a bad life.
Hope you both can do this when the food gets short and expensive.
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GG I see you’re a student and are not yet 20. How much experience do you have exactly to be making comments as you do?
Housing for foreigners….nice parks with a few veg patches….what research do you have for this exactly apart from your dad telling you?
I’m all for people of all ages taking an active interest in the island where they live but when it’s poorly researched xenophobic comments you should clearly just concentrate on studying for your A levels.
I wasn’t born in Guernsey but was brought here as a child after my mother re-married a “local”. I was schooled on island. Left to attend university and stretch my legs, came back, have a senior role in a well known “local” company and am proud to call myself local.
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Yes I am all for progress and looking to the future but I own an old vinery site which cannot be seen from the road, and I wonder if I could get permission for a cyber site, I think not. One law for one springs to mind, I even have to get permission for allotments.
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I see that a couple were turned down for a campsite. Among the grounds given for the refusal of permission were that there was no “demand” for one; that the island had three campsites already; and that the soil was of good quality, and that the site should revert to agriculture, and that tourism wasn’t wanted.
Contrast that with the Swallow Apartments, where tourism was a vital industry!
Now, one wonders how much real demand there is for this “cyber park” development, when the states have tried (and failed) repeatedly to get similar tenant businesses interested in other sites. Those sites would have been bespoke build too.
There are a number of alternative sites already in existence – Garenne seems to be mostly for sale or available to let; Pitronnerie Road; Hure Mare; Lowlands; Braye Road Ind. Estate. Take a look at the commercial property agents’ books. There’s a lot of space empty/available elsewhere, without any of the previous tenant’s taking space in this new development.
Height of the development should be restricted to two storeys for the time being. These lego/Meccano constructions can be added to later, should there be real demand. Once the development footprint can be shown to be filled and fully occupied at two storeys, and there be no real alternative to adding floors, then so be it.
The Longport site was a premier vinery in its day, presumably with a good growing medium.
As valeite says, there’s simply not a level playing field.
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Equet
Sorry but I just don’t believe you. There are not 70,000 plus people living in Guernsey today.
Even assuming that a very small number of flats may be “over inhabited”, using your figures there would to be litterally hundreds of such properties. But there aren’t. And what are these incomers all doing here ? How would they be getting around the Right to Work rules ?
Are none of them registered for tax or social insurance ? Which employers would be paying them all cash in hand ?
Sorry but its simply not possible for our population to be anywhere near as high as you say.
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I think this is a good idea. there is only one down side for me. The “foreigner” bashers will have a field day. We’ve 500 unemployed approx 300 are unemployable 200 roughly between jobs.As someone who employs both local and non local staff I will be watching the housing dept to see which kind of licences they are granting i quarentee this developement will have preferential treatment compared to other industries.
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Equet
Thanks for the advice, the next time I want to know anything I’ll ask a taxi driver, they’re the font of all knowledge aren’t they?
Your figures are wrong, plain and simple.
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“Lynnie | March 18, 2010 at 9:08 pm
GG I see you’re a student and are not yet 20. How much experience do you have exactly to be making comments as you do?
Housing for foreigners….nice parks with a few veg patches….what research do you have for this exactly apart from your dad telling you?
I’m all for people of all ages taking an active interest in the island where they live but when it’s poorly researched xenophobic comments you should clearly just concentrate on studying for your A levels.
I wasn’t born in Guernsey but was brought here as a child after my mother re-married a “local”. I was schooled on island. Left to attend university and stretch my legs, came back, have a senior role in a well known “local” company and am proud to call myself local.”
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Thanks for providing a typical view of the younger generation, my comments are not xenophobic. All I’ve been saying is that I’d much rather see vegetable patches, and woodland areas rather than housing for foreign people. The island is full enough as it is, and we have a very large population density. If you do not know what that is, then maybe you should go back down the route of GCSE Geography, or perhaps A Level Geography.
How much experience do I have for making comments like I do? So you need experience to voice your opinion these days? All my comments are of my own opinion, and all I want is to see a nice peaceful island, of course it will never go back to how it was, but I do not want to see the island littered with buildings, such as Jersey, or the UK.
I have my own opinion, which may be influenced from education, or perhaps my parents. But it is still my own opinion, I write my opinion from my own computer, without any guidance from my parents, if my parents wished to post their opinion, they can do so using their own computer.
I can also manage to write comments on this website, and study for my A Level examinations, if I thought that posting on this website was affecting my study I wouldn’t do so. I think it’s good that young people do participate in areas such as this; the ‘Cyber-park’ as it will be us to pick up the pieces of your generation, and currently our generation of States Members.
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GG
A good comeback to Lynnie’s earlier post but I don’t think this fly speck of an island has enough spare land for woodland parks.
Besides the developer has paid 7.5M ? for the site and I need lots of busy young people like you in the future to pay my pension
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GG you are right, it is your opinion of course. Just purely constructed and lacks clarity on what point you’re trying to make exactly.
Yes, thank you I do know what density means and agree that the island is compact, however if I didn’t like it then I wouldn’t have to live here but I choose to and so do many others therefore Guernsey must have something going for it?
Your xenophobia is veiled but I feel it’s there. One breath you talk about high density the other you judge against housing being built for foreigners. You assume it’s going to house foreigners??? Guernsey is not yours. It’s ours. It belongs to everyone who lives here regardless of their origins and this insisted classification of foreign/local is ridiculous. What is foreign and what is local?
That’s my (slightly more) than two cents worth. Back to my original post I for one think the area will be more efficient as business units and not pretty park area (with no housing to overlook it) after all we don’t have to particularly wander far to find an attractive vista.
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I have to say that I agree with Lynnie.
Have your own opinions GG but at least look at both sides of the arguement GG as you seem to be looking a bit foolish by insisting that park land is a better use for an overpopulated, finance struggling, island.
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I have no problems with the proposed cyber-park at the Salt pans, just that perhaps keeping it under 3 storeys, and giving the local-man more freedom. Developers get what they want, as long as the minsters get a fair share of the pie.
About the whole “foreigners” all I was doing was responding to previous comments, I’d much rather see derelict vinery sites, than new buildings for foreign people, if they’re cheap first-time buys for the local population, then that’s a good thing. All I was saying is that, we should push for allotments in the island, and derelict vinery sites are ideal for this, as they were once agricultural land, not building land.
Regarding your comment:
“Guernsey is not yours. It’s ours. It belongs to everyone who lives here regardless of their origins and this insisted classification of foreign/local is ridiculous. What is foreign and what is local?”
I never said it was mine, it is all of ours to share, in my honest opinion the Guernsey Man isn’t given as much freedom from the IDC as the developer, from England. I believe that if we do not press even further against immigration it will be just like a mini-St Helier, or perhaps we’ll have a mosque of some sort, I and I imagine many others would not want this to happen.
What is foreign and what is local? Foreign – both foreign parents, or born outside Guernsey. What is local? Both parents and perhaps grandparents local, and born in Guernsey. That would be my definition. I imagine it would differ to yours, as you seem to agree that we should have many foreigners over here, and be overcrowded :)
“That’s my (slightly more) than two cents worth. Back to my original post I for one think the area will be more efficient as business units and not pretty park area (with no housing to overlook it) after all we don’t have to particularly wander far to find an attractive vista.”
As I’ve said above, I completely agree with this, but if we need “500″ odd houses for foreigners, then I disagree with it. Housing should be for local people first, as of course it is their island.
Just my tuppence.
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There are many holes in your post but I won’t get into that – I just hope that as you gain different experiences (and this is not an insult by any means)that your views will change. It doesn’t particularily matter who’s local and who’s foreign. All the new housing could be for “foreign” people as by your statement quite a lot of them would have been born in Guernsey.
To have a proper Guernsey passport both sets of grandparents must have been born (as well as yourself and your parents) in Guernsey. Otherwise you will be issued an EU passport. So I guess by your standards that signifies local status.
I also have to mention that I saw a post about the Guernsey not being yours being ours by another contributer and thought it fitted well with this issue. Yes you did not say the words GG but you have implied them.
You keep mentioning this housing for forigners. If it was housing for “locals” as you classify them would you be so against it?
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Why would one be against housing for “locals”, after all it’s their land not those from abroad.
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GG
If anyone from abroad owns Guernsey land then someone from Guernsey must have sold it to them
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GG – you seem to have contradicted yourself there.
I quote
I never said it was mine (Guernsey). It is all of ours to share
So is that now not the case?
So you’re all for pretty parks and allotments but against business/housing structures being built.
Although if it’s housing for locals 2 generations back then it’s fine. However housing for “foreigners” you’re against. These “foreigners” being essential licence holders such as medical professionals, teachers, people who are born in Guernsey but their parentage is elsewhere. People who only have one set of grandparents born in the island. Ect ect.
You need to make up your mind GG and look at the whole picture here. Yes it would be lovely if there was one house every 3 miles separated by vast amounts of greenery. That’s not going to happen though.
If we don’t do something about the economy of Guernsey who’s to say there would be a job for you GG when you finish your studies? Or are you planning on moving abroad and if so then how would you feel about these remarks that you are making if made against you! Why should they allow you in their universities? After all you’re taking away a place from a “local” UK resident.
I suggest you look up xenophobia in the dictionary because you clearly don’t know what it means.
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GG, I hope your peers don’t share your racist views. It’s about time people moved on from describing people who’ve not got an extensive family history from Guernsey as “foreignors”.
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I’d hope that we use the correct spelling of foreigners, why should one move away from views such as that? The island is rather full.
One question Lynnie; why would Guernsey land be foreigners from abroad, it’s Guernsey people’s land, not people from the UK. Guernsey people should get more priority than foreign people. Just my view. I said it’s all of ours to share, I meant all of us locals to share. Not somebody that just popped over here yesterday.
“So you’re all for pretty parks and allotments but against business/housing structures being built.
Although if it’s housing for locals 2 generations back then it’s fine. However housing for “foreigners” you’re against. These “foreigners” being essential licence holders such as medical professionals, teachers, people who are born in Guernsey but their parentage is elsewhere. People who only have one set of grandparents born in the island. Ect ect.”
I never said it’s fine, I’d much rather see allotments or greenery areas on the island than more housing, but I’d rather see local people have the housing than foreign people. I don’t care if they’re medical professionals, or teachers, local people should have priority.
If we get the incinerator I don’t plan on staying, nor do I if the island is full to the maximum with foreign people. I don’t know why one would wish to stay in an island with an incinerator or pathetic States members. I also wouldn’t plan on moving to the UK.
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To be perfectly honest, GG has made some good points. I don’t see why foreign people should get priority on housing when there are locals who can’t get houses.
We need cheap houses for local people.
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So GG. By your classification you would class me as a foreigner as I was brought over here at 8yrs old but nevertheless was schooled here, have local status and have continued to (par 5yrs whilst at university) live here for 20 years, which I presume is longer than you yet you would class yourself as Local therefore laying “claim” to Guernsey and me as “foreign” and should potentially be second choice for getting onto the housing ladder?
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