A plea for overflow parking to be restored at Grandes Rocques beach has been met with opposing views in the community.
The petition was started by a frustrated couple who started garnering petitions by hand last week. An online version of the petition has garnered 231 signatures at the time of writing.
“The overflow car park was created for a reason and now it has been taken away it is causing lots of problems,” it states.
“People are unable to park leading to cars being parked on verges and in dangerous places blocking people in and some walkways. It also endangers some of the children as people such as Outdoor Guernsey used that overflow car park as a safe place to park vans and create a safe area for the children to eat lunch and change.”
Signatories stated the removal of parking was unfair, ridiculous, frustrating for tourists and locals, and comments that there is already sufficient grassland on the headland.
But others have defended the change on social media arguing there are alternative beaches with parking, that beachgoers should arrive earlier to secure a spot, and that coastal species deserve protecting.
Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services, a division of Environment & Infrastructure, installed a boulder at the entrance to the overflow in March to restore the area to coastal grassland.
Officials said the move would boost biodiversity, through laying topsoil and scattering native seeds including pink campion, while providing more green space for the public to enjoy.
Pictured: The area that has been returned to nature.
They said it was in line with States policies on the natural environment, specifically the Strategy for Nature.
ACLMS said parking would be “partially offset” by spaces created at the former entrance to the overflow area and by installing additional bicycle parking spaces.
The land is marked as a Site of Special Significance under the Island Development Plan.
Grandes Rocques Kiosk has printed off its own copy of the petition for signatures. In a post on Facebook, it said the removal of parking “has affected many people.
“Some people don’t have a choice but to drive their car to the beach as they have kids, are elderly or don’t live on the bus routes... we fully support this.”
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