Co-op wants to spend £1m. to help out ‘Fred’
Tuesday 16th November 2010, 1:00PM GMT.
The Channel Islands Co-op wants to build five industrial units on this land to help ‘Fred in the Shed’ businesses. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 1054097)
FIVE new light industrial units are going to be built by the Co-op at Lowlands in the Vale.
The Channel Islands Co-operative Society has gained permission for the development following the publicity about the lack of land for ‘Fred in the Shed’ businesses.
Society president Peter Roffey said the units, which would be around 1,000sq. ft each, would hopefully be finished by the end of next year.
‘There has been an awful lot of publicity in Guernsey about how difficult it is to find small units for small businesses so we decided to look at our estate to provide that sort of accommodation.’
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‘There has been an awful lot of publicity in Guernsey about how difficult it is to find small units for small businesses’ Because the rents are so high not because there are not enough light industrial units on the island we are littered with empty units. This has nothing to do with trying to help Fred in the Shed’ businesses who do you think you are fooling. This is only about more new buildings increasing the value of the land and making more money.
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HI all – please can someone put us in touch with the person at the co-op who is proposing this as at the moment we are battling with the ed over suitable land for builders yards.
We are being evicted from our vinery site at the end of January and will be totally homeless!! Our well established building company who employs 16 plus men is facing a massive problem.
Being totally local I have seen many builders yards over the years turned into housing sites – little has been done to replace these and the time to act is NOW!!! If there is someone out there with infulence please can you try to do something = help is needed IMMEDIATELY
Carolyn Wild
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No. No. No,Sorry bur as far as I know Mr Roffey has never been in business or has ever had to start one from scratch. The biggest problem with starting a new business is the lack of suitable premises,and those that are are overpriced but not only that it can also take months, if not years ,getting change of use from the Environment department and as for Carla Nulty’s lot don,t even go there! If they had closed that department down twenty years ago it would have saved the Island Millions. No, the answer is for the states to construct units on their own land and sell them, yes sell them to the entrepreneurs.That way they will end up owning their own premises and saving hundreds of thousands of pounds making the rich richer!
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Dear Carolyn,
I doubt this project will be able to help you. Firstly it won’t be complete untill the end of next summer. Secondly it comprises of five light industrial buildings of about 1,000 square feet each rather than a builders yard. But if you want to check it through the person to contact is Julie Shingles on 01534 879822.
Good luck where ever you end up relocating.
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carolyn
As the story says Peter J Roffey is the Co Op president and he should be happy to put you in touch with the right contact
Vale Deputy Graham Guille is leading the push for more help for small businesses
Both are in the phone book
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I like the effort being made by the Co-op to replace, in part, some of the work spaces lost by the whole development.
However, before this site got permission the whole issue of small operators pitching against Data Centres and Document Storage should have been addressed. Market forces, scarce land resource dictate that chap with welding shop isn’t going to stand a hope in hell against large, long term lease operations.
“Vale Deputy Graham Guille is leading the push for more help for small businesses”
I read that letter too Ray and am not that impressed. Deputy Guille has been in the States long enough to have assisted/ensured that there was an effective land use strategy/policy that for small firms.
Case in point is the recent change of use of Church Road Motors (previously showroom, shop and workshop) into 3 houses; that’s on or around Deputy Guille’s patch isn’t it?
What the Island needs is political action not letters.
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Neil
Deputy Guille’s problem,and that of his colleagues is that he is up against the tank traps dug by the Environment and Commerce and Employment departments
They employ UK staff who perpetuate the belief that greenhouses will make a comeback at some time in the next century and any change of use request takes for ever to mull over before finally saying No
Pleasantly surprised to see today though that a change of use from sandwich bar to Indian food near the Halfway only took five months to sort out
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Ray
My point is that Deputy Guille is in government. If the problem is at Departmental level then it is up to him to gather the elected members and make steps towards resolving land use issues. A letter in the GP……….is that it? Come on eh?
And while we are on it this whole “Fred in the Shed” phrasing is patronising. Welders, panel beaters, scaffolders and skip companies have either spent a long time learning their trade, 4 years for a welder and/or engineer and in the case of the hauliers invested thousands in machinery and materials to provide important services that keep the wheels of this Island oiled.
They aren’t flat capped Dibnah’s tinkering with steam engines, they are working men with families and livelihoods providing this island with a diverse industry base and deserve far more respect and attention than are currently being given.
…………..
Ray, not all of the above was directed at you.
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Dave Jones
You read a lot of this stuff.Tell Graham to get his finger out!
This island is being stifled by antiquated reasoning
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Will the people who rent these places get a divvy on their rent? This will, of course, mean that, like the CO-OPs prices in their stores, rents will be set above the proper rate so that when the CO-OP get their rents they will still make a good profit for themselves. They aren`t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts you know.
Oh, Caroline, if you builders made an effort to keep your yards in some sort of tidy order then maybe more people would allow you to apply for permission to use their land to run your business from. Every builder`s site I`ve ever seen looks like a bomb site and who wants that on their doorstep?
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