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An email shared with Express this week said that a 2024 Guernsey Rally would not be given permission but Traffic and Highways Services has now said that was a "factual error that arose from a misunderstanding" and that "no formal decision has been made by the Committee regarding future rally events".
The 2023 Rally was controversial in some quarters with a number of residents opposing the plans for the two day event before it was staged last weekend.
Their concerns centred around the danger of upsetting or injuring children, livestock and pets, the risk of damage to property and land boundaries, and noise and environmental risks.
The level of concern rose with some people choosing to protest during the Rally with Guernsey Police being called to calm a situation last Friday night.
A large outpouring of positive support for the Rally seemed to confirm the organisers would be looking to stage further races next year too, with the organisers telling us on Monday that they would be taking the next few weeks "to carry out debriefs with Officials and competitors as well as reflect on the events that took place leading up to and during the rally, to identify areas to improve on, to make the next Guernsey Rally better for the competitors and more entertaining for the spectators".
On Tuesday, Express was sent a copy of the below email which contained a sentence explaining why "the Committee has decided not to permit a rally-style event in 2024 and will, in due course, give careful consideration whether to permit such events again in the future".
Pictured: A copy of the above email was shared with Express this week having been sent to the recipient prior to the 2023 Rally being staged. It is not known who the message was originally sent to.
Colin Le Page is the Lead Officer at Traffic and Highway Services, the States department responsible for co-ordinating road closures for maintenance work, community events and sporting fixtures, along with other duties.
The message above was sent by him ahead of the 2023 Rally alluding to a large workload his staff encountered in dealing with the Rally's applications and permissions and that, coupled with other concerns raised about the Rally, meant a 2024 event would not be given permission.
Mr Le Page has now said the above message contained a "factual error" but that error has not been highlighted.
A statement issued by Mr Le Page on Wednesday afternoon confirmed that no decision has yet been made over whether a future Rally will be allowed to go ahead in Guernsey.
The full statement issued by Mr Le Page confirmed the "significant amount of time and public expenses" incurred in considering the applications for the Rally's stages but also that "all practical arrangements had been put in place to mitigate, as much as possible, the concerns raised".
Mr Le Page said: “This letter was sent by Traffic and Highway Services to those who appealed the decision for the 2023 rally event to take place. This letter provided confirmation that, following the carefully considered appeal, the event had been organised in accordance with the Rally Policy and that all practical arrangements had been put in place to mitigate, as much as possible, the concerns raised."
Pictured: A number of people watched the Rally from various locations.
“The letter also alluded to future rally events, highlighting the significant amount of time and public expense incurred giving careful consideration to the application against the published policy. This obviously comes at a cost in terms of officer time, but also takes staff time away from progressing important priorities," continued Mr Le Page.
“Now, more than ever, Traffic and Highway Services, as with other services areas, need to focus resources carefully and on the highest priorities.
“Therefore, we raised these concerns with the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure and the Committee recognised the significant workload this created for Traffic and Highway Services. However, contrary to the statement in the letter – which was a factual error that arose from a misunderstanding - no formal decision has been made by the Committee regarding future rally events.
“We’ve already engaged with Guernsey Rally LBG regarding future rally events and will continue our discussions with them, but no formal decision has been made at this time and a decision is not due to be taken imminently.”
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