Planning swamped by port backlash

Thursday 11 December 2014

When the Planning department asked if anyone had any comments on the new plans for a "maritime hub" at the harbour, the last thing that they were expecting was for more than 1,300 Islanders to give them a piece of their mind.

But the public outcry over the plans has caught them completely by surprise - to the point that they now say that they can't afford to respond to everyone who has written in. Planning say that it would cost them around £2,000 of taxpayers money to reply to the record 1,325 comments they have had so far about the Port Galots development - the majority of which are thought to be against the plans after one local businesswoman launched a campaign to stop it.

Planning's Development Control Director Peter Le Gresley said that the response had been so big that they were abandoning their policy of going back to each person who had left feedback.

He said: “There’s a balance to be struck between keeping people informed and the time and money it would cost on this occasion to individually acknowledge in writing the many submissions we’ve received in relation to Les Galots.”

A project team who have been working as a public-private partnership submitted plans for Port Galots last month. If approved, work could start next year to create the new maritime centre that will include 18 two-bed flats, a restaurant and office space on the harbour edge at the foot of Mount Bingham.

Thousands of people have been showing their support for one local business that's against the plans.

Almost 9,000 people viewed a Facebook video made by Vicky Boarder and Louis Jackson from the Fresh Fish Company who don't want to see flats built on the site because of the effect it will have on their fish shop business and the local area.

The planning department will now be posting updates on the application on their website www.gov.je/planning to avoid wasting too much of taxpayer’s money.