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One of the men behind efforts to buy some of the Barclay brothers' Sark estate is still hopeful that their plans may come to fruition, despite the "outright opposition" they experienced, among other challenges.
Writing about the topic in detail on his own website, Swen Lorenz has explained how they went into the negotiations to buy land owned by a trust of the late Sir David Barclay prepared for both a positive and negative result.
"Either the offer for the real estate portfolio would succeed, or not.
"Planning for both scenarios and being mentally prepared for a disappointing outcome was always part of the equation.
"Matters may yet come to fruition, but at a later stage."
Pictured: The deal fell through last week. Read more HERE.
The Sark Property Co. had attempted to buy the land owned by a trust of the late Brecqhou resident.
Backed by binding commitments for investment from more than 100 investors, their bid of £20million was rejected and the current owners - the trust of the late Sir David Barclay - now plan to do some work on the estate themselves.
Mr Lorenz has kept interested parties up to date on developments with the purchase plans through his own website - writing last Friday that "sadly, it was not to be – at least, not yet".
He had been working on the plans since 2021, with close involvement from the Seigneur and other parties.
"Over the subsequent three years, this had grown into an extraordinary alliance of people who all felt a passion for (and interest in) the island of Sark. They all wanted to see it break from its peculiar stuck situation and realise at least some of its incredible potential," wrote Mr Lorenz.
Pictured: Swen Lorenz is an entrepreneur living in Sark.
As well as praising those who have been involved in the so-far-unsuccessful project, Mr Lorenz addressed the challenges the Sark Property Co. has faced.
"Dealing with human beings and proposing something that involves change doesn't only make you friends," he wrote.
"Outright opposition is par for the course when you manage a project of this kind. I had seen much worse when I worked in the Galapagos Islands from 2010-2014. Compared to the challenges I resolved as CEO of the islands' largest private employer, the problems and challenges of Sark seemed a mere triviality.
"What does get to you, though, is the sheer tediousness of dealing with professional victim types.
"One of my favourite moments was when one island resident came up to me after the public workshop to voice her consternation that (allegedly) she had not been given notice that a public event of such gravity was going to take place. Ahead of the workshop, we had sent out a press release, reached out to all local media, sent emails to all residents that we had an email address of, and used the Sark postal service to deliver a hardcopy flyer to every single household. Never mind postings in Sark-related groups on Facebook and to the relevant people in government. You'd think on an island of 5.45 square kilometres with barely 500 residents, word would spread to everyone.
"Instead, you get accused of working in secret.
"As the saying goes, no good deed ever goes unpunished."
Mr Lorenz has also criticised some of Sark's politicians with accusations that they "abuse their power".
Criticism has been levelled at one member of the Sark community in particular, with details of their social media activities being shared.
"Altogether, I do have to say that along this entire process, the government of Sark as a whole did not rise in my estimation," wrote Mr Lorenz.
Pictured: Sark's Maseline Harbour.
Mr Lorenz has said that just because their bid to buy Sir David Barclay's estate in the island has failed, the Sark Property Co. is not giving up.
He says they plan to "give it two years" and then they will "revisit the situation".
"Of course, we could get back into the swing of things earlier than that," he added. "E.g., if the entire real estate portfolio came up for auction, we'd look at it with interest. Over the past three years, we have done 99% of the work necessary to prepare our involvement."
Mr Lorenz is also keeping a close eye on news reports concerning the Barclay family's finances.
The Barclay family dropped off the Sunday Times' 'Rich List' this year and there have been recent reports suggesting a sale of their retail venture 'Very'.
There was also a report in Private Eye during the Autumn concerning the finances of Alastair Barclay, Sir David's eldest son who is widely believed to now hold the family's pursestrings.
Plans to buy Barclays' property portfolio dropped
Private company submits bid to buy Barclay family's Sark estate
Barclay family's Sark estate could be sold for £60m
Estate agents called as Barclay family preps sale of 100+ Sark properties
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