The Island Plan was drawn up by a working group of States’ members and shaped by feedback from the community in 2021. A survey was published and roughly a quarter of the population gave their thoughts on the most important issues facing Alderney.
Nine in 10 respondents said renewable energy was a priority for the island. Affordable housing was a close second among the public’s priorities.
Pictured: The full Island Plan has now been published ONLINE.
The draft Plan was discussed by Alderney’s politicians in January, but was not subject to a full States’ debate with members having the opportunity to submit amendments and cast votes. It has not been published as a final document.
It outlines what the States intend to do and when. It is been split into six key themes: economy, energy, accessibility/connectivity, community development, natural/man-made environment, and governance.
The Deputy Chairman of the States’ Policy & Finance Committee, Ian Carter, led the creation of the document.
He said: “As a ‘living document’, it will be revised to accommodate changes with progress reviewed and reported every six months.
“This will enable islanders to have the opportunity for ongoing community engagement and input into what is expected to be a sustainable framework for action over the coming years. Simply put, it is a roadmap to focus time and resources effectively.”
Three time horizons have been developed: short (one year), medium (five years) and long (10+ years).
Pictured: The States said the plan has been created to “maximise Alderney’s prosperity and resilience”.
The Island Plan suggests work on a variety of work streams, including: developing apprenticeship skills on-island, developing tidal and solar energy strategies, developing the airport’s infrastructure and developing the island’s housing strategy.
Mr Snowdon said: “My personal feeling is there is quite a lot on the agenda and the timeline could slip because I’m not quite sure the States of Alderney and the civil service have all the resources they need to implement all the action points on the Island Plan”.
“I think it’s essential that Alderney and Guernsey work together on common interests regarding the Island Plan. However, there is a question of resourcing and the capital needed to implement some of those items.”
Pictured: “You don’t want to go out promising the world and then underdelivering,” said Alex Snowdon.
Mr Snowdon believes that he and his colleagues should have the opportunity to debate possible amendments to the Plan.
“It should be debated by the States of Alderney because then concerns, views and support could be permitted and amendments could be put in as well,” he said.
“It was submitted as a report to get feedback before it was finalised. Now it’s finalised, it should be submitted to the States for a full debate and a resolution saying whether it’s going to be passed.”
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