Upset in Hougues Magues at industrial development
Saturday 27th March 2010, 2:30PM GMT.
ANGRY St Sampson’s residents have called for a rethink on Environment’s plans for industrial development.
Details were released yesterday of four sites that will, if the States agrees, be made available for small workshops and yards.
One is a 0.9-acre site in Hougues Magues Lane, which runs alongside the Pony Inn.
It was once a vinery but has been cleared.
Margaret Bougourd (pictured), whose garden borders the plot, has lived there for around 26 years.
‘The States had a big meeting about it and I wrote a letter in the first place,’ said the 77-year-old.
‘But I couldn’t go up. It’s just such a mess. I’m not very pleased.’
Independent planning inspector Jill Kingaby recommended the site’s use be changed.
‘In my opinion, it should be possible to achieve some low-key industrial use here which is reasonably separated from the neighbouring dwellings, blends into the landscape and is suitably controlled by planning conditions so that it does not have a harmful effect on the locality,’ she said in her report.
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Yet again some more foreign people suggesting ways of using land (Kill Kingaby).
What I don’t understand is how places like “Cyber-park” etc. are granted permission, yet somebody who wishes to replace their greenhouse, or perhaps build one in what once used to be greenhouses isn’t. I’m sure the Environment department all need to be replaced with local people who want the best for local land.
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GG,
I appreciate that planning can arouse passions at times, but surely a plea to kill the planning inspector is taking it a bit far.
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This is a local shop for local people, there is nothing for you here!
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You’re certainly ticking all the boxes GG. You can’t stand foreigners, you can’t stand gay people, you can’t stand economic progress, you can’t stand outside interference and you don’t seem too hot on the intelligentsia. Reminds me of a certain Mr Pol Pot. Ever ‘eard of ‘im?
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GG, Planning Inspectors make decisions based on the Development Plan, which is produced locally. I’m intrigued, therefore, as to how you conclude that a ‘foreign’ person (who would need formal planning qualifications) is not in a position to make a planning decision. I should also add that there is no planning qualification available locally and the Environment Department’s planners, whether Guernsey born and bred, would have had to have been trained in the UK.
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I have nothing against foreigners, gay people or economic progress. I dislike how a local person could establish what’s good land to build on, and what’s not, that’s all. Gay people I have nothing against them, but if they want a civil partnership why can they not go to the UK to achieve their lifetime goal…
Economic progress? I have nothing against economic progress, but does it damage valuable land, bring in more foreign people into an already overcrowded island?
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Back pedaling hard now aren’t you GG, or at least trying to, but your wheels have come off and you’re going nowhere?
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GG – have you read the article about the Portinfer yard? The very same independent planning expert from the UK has decided that it is NOT suitable for development.
Where is your post questioning the right of a non-local expert to advise how future development is conducted?
It is precisely because we are a small community on a small island that planning decisions can become personal with accusations of bias or corruption – it is a good idea to involve an independent expert from outside of those influences.
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Matt – I’ve heard a rumour that if the States decide to export our waste to Jersey’s incinerator, the waste storage and loading facilities will most likely have to be built at St. Sampsons. Is that true?
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Going back to the headline – I’m a resident in this area and can not understand why, if the States haven’t discussed this yet, a “company” have already moved into this site?!
Grand Fort Road is one of the worst in the Island, with the one way system now implemented (in the wrong direction) since the new schools build this road is the only direct route to The Bridge. There are queues from Oatlands traffic lights back as far as The Pony at various times throughout each day and virtually all day on a Saturday – how on Earth can anyone even suggest this area as a possibility for light industrial use? Hougues Magues Lane itself is too small to cope with yet more traffic – it’s used constantly by children, horses, cyclists, tractors, lorries – along with speeding drivers, and this area wouldn’t even cope with more housing.
These areas are agricultural and should remain so – what about a small amount of allotments as an alternative?
It’s always got to be St Sampson, pick another parish for a change!
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Derek,
Any notion of exporting waste to Jersey does, of course, rely on the two islands reaching agreement on costs, tonnages, length and security of contract etc. The Policy Council and Public Services Department are involved in those negotiations and I am on neither, so I am probably not the best person to ask about the fine detail.
However, it seems to me a fairly safe assumption that some of the infrastructure that would be required to get our waste into a suitable form and onto a ship would need to be built on the coast in St Sampson’s – simply because the vessel would be departing from St Sampson’s Harbour.
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Matt
Why am I worried that the Policy Council and PSD are involved in the negotiations
Do we employ a professional negotiator , someone who knows his ar*e from his elbow,because it seems to me that Guernsey always comes out of negotiations holding the mucky end of the stick
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Ray,
You are more cynical than me, although after two years in the States I am probably catching up!
Policy Council is responsible for external relations and Public Services for the management of waste, so sensibly they are the only departments with the mandates to negotiate possible terms for the export of waste.
They employ professional staff and are run by experienced politicians. If they can’t negotiate reasonably on this relatively straightforward item, then we really are in trouble. I’m sure they’re up to it.
As for competence, please remember that since the machinery of government reforms of 2004 there have been no overspends on major capital projects, the growth in revenue spending has been reversed, and we have established a process to prioritise all capital and revenue expenditure across the States – all positive initiatives which seemed at the time of their holding office to elude former politicians whose favourite pastime now is to criticise the record of this Assembly.
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