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Turning North Beach into a “transport hub” and building a hotel on Cambridge Berth were just two ideas announced during a recent presentation by the Guernsey Development Agency.
The Agency was set up this year to deliver development proposals along the East Coast, between the Aquarium and Vale Castle.
Its mandate is to focus on State land and trigger development in line with the Harbour Action Areas within the Island Development Plan.
During a presentation at the IoD’s December breakfast, Peter Watson (Chair of the GDA) and board member Simon Kidahl announced the ideas the Agency has been circling after nearly a year in post.
Mr Watson prefaced his presentation by repeating that “these are just ideas” and that the Agency is still in the consultation phase.
Ideas for St Peter Port included developing a hotel on Cambridge Berth, and demolishing The Boathouse to make way for a new two-storey building.
North Beach has been eyed-up as the island’s transport hub, with the bus depot moving away from the South Esplanade, freeing it up for a pedestrian friendly area.
Moving cafes and restaurants across to the piers to make the most of the setting sun was noted several times, with an idea to lose 60 parking spaces on Crown Pier in favour of restaurant and café space.
The entrance to Castle Cornet needs sprucing up, according to Mr Watson, and the inside could be rejuvenated to give visitors somewhere to go when visiting the island.
One contentious idea was to build a new marina in Havelet Bay.
Mr Watson said touching Belgrave Bay would also be controversial, but indicated that building outwards to allow for a dedicated bus lane could be a good idea.
Much was made of the Bridge and the bright future it could have, while Mr Watson said it would definitely be a 20 year project.
The overarching ‘vision’ would be for more pedestrianised areas, restaurants, and for the marina to become aimed at leisure visitors.
To this end there are thoughts to move the traffic away from the seafront, move commercial shipping away from the Bridge and find somewhere else for Guernsey Electricity’s power station.
The image shared with those attending the breakfast was of the Barbican (below).
Other ideas were to cover Vale Castle so it could be used for more events, build 25 industrial units at Longue Hougue to encourage marine trade to move there and build a mooring buoy out in the Little Russel for fuel tankers.
Three deputies attended the presentation, with Deputy Steve Falla celebrating the fact that the Agency was given free reign with its ideas, without being told what it “can’t do”.
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