http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2014/07/02/saved-for-ever/#comments The headland at Plémont could be owned by the National Trust for Jersey within weeks The Plemont headland It has been a good couple of days for the States. The decision to reject the Sunday trading trial (see post on that story) and now this agreement on the future of the Plemont headland, indicates (certainly in my opinion) , that there are occasions in the States Chamber when sanity rules and members come to the right decision for the right reasons. I have long argued that the Plemont headland is too valuable for the people of the island and for the visiting tourist to be handed to some developer to build very expensive and very exclusive homes for a very few privileged members of society. There are those (reflected in some posts on the Jersey Evening Post story page too) who argue that Jersey is a small island with a housing problem and that more homes are needed. I would certainly not...
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http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2014/05/31/ours-for-3%C2%BDm/ Plans to build on Plémont's headland could be scrapped after environmental campaigners struck a behind-the-scenes deal to buy the site for £7.15 million. The Plemont headland. Great news. There is too much "development" in the wrong places already in Jersey. If the Plemont headland can be retained for the islanders (and tourists), and returned to nature, then it must be a good move environmentally and socially.
http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_jerseynews/displayarticle.asp?id=509441 Condor granted a five year temporary extension to their operating license. Economic Development Minister Alan McClean What "further negotiations " are necessary? What further considerations need to be considered? The ships are dirty and grubby, the reclining seats are mostly broken and remain un repaired. The service is unreliable, and that is not only due to the weather. The cost of traveling on Condor is extortionate. What more is there to understand or talk about? Condor ferries Another report in today's channelonline.tv states that the number of visitors to Jersey has declined by 40% since 2000. Taking into consideration that more the 70% of Jersey visitors come from mainland UK, it is not unreasonable to assume that the cost of travel to the Island is a significant contribution to the falling tourist numbers. Under these circumstances, the decisi...
http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=506659 Attempts to hold on to Jersey's tourism industry For all intents and purposes, the problems that the States has in the tourist sector are entirely of their own making. All it seems has been sacrificed on the altar of "Finance" at the expense first of agriculture and then tourism. It seems to me that the vision of creating a Dubai type Island off the coat of France full of exclusive hotels, rich financiers, Corporate Banks and luxury accommodation was only ever a wishful thinking mirage, and in pursuit of that dream the Island has fallen between stools and now has an identity crisis of huge proportions. The historic skills of agriculture have been irretrievably lost and traditional tourist accommodation has been closed or demolished to make way for "prestigious" projects. The lack of tourists in Jersey has little to do with the weather, perhaps something to do with the recess...
http://www.thisisjersey.com/news/2012/10/15/couple-may-appeal-over-st-peter-care-homes-plan/ Couple may appeal over St Peter care homes plan On Friday 5th October 2012, I published on this Blog, an article under the title of “Another nail in the coffin of Jersey tourism”. It seems that the article ruffled a few feathers in Jersey, predominately from people and organisations who felt that my comments on the way in which tourism was being destroyed on the island, somehow undermined their efforts to persuade others to retain tourist facilities. It seems to be a common misconception by some on the island, that business interests in Jersey are philanthropic bodies who are driven by a commitment to Jersey and its economy, rather than the prospect of increasing their cash flow by the sale of tangible assets, such as land, particularly when such land can be argued to be in a “prime location”. The growing number of applications granted by the State...
http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_jerseynews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=501695 Three controversial planning applications in Jersey have been approved. In spite of repeated denials over many months, it now seems that Les Charrieres Hotel will be demolished and replaced with nine houses. The States of Jersey clearly have a death wish in respect of their commitment to tourism on the Island. With every passing month, hotels, guest houses and tourist facilities are closed and replaced with houses or nursing homes or "luxury" apartments. It is not just the loss of the amenities that should cause concern to Gorst, Maclean, La Marquand and the rest. It is the loss of the skill sets and potential that should be worrying them. Questionable short term benefit at the expense of economic stability later, is never a good trade off. Agriculture has in effect, disappeared from the Island. Tourism is shadow of what it was even five years ago. Finance is encountering rough...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-19609680 The number of people travelling to Jersey in July was down by 10.6% on the same time last year. A Jersey Tourism spokesman said 16% fewer people travelled to Jersey by ferry in July compared with the same time last year.And 18,500 fewer people chose to travel here by ferry in the first seven months of 2012. This is hardly surprising. The cost of getting to the Island, by sea or air, is expensive and then the prices of the traditional tourist attractions (those that are still left that is), make a day out for Mum Dad and two children rather prohibitive. The days of duty and tax free goods, spirits and cigarettes are a distant memory, with a bottle of wine being around the same price on the Island as it is in our local Morrisons supermarket. I remember not too long ago, paying more for a litre of petrol on La Route des Quennevais than at Tesco in Dorchester, but sanity now seems to...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey- A date has been set for a public inquiry into plans for Plemont Headland. This exceptional location must be sold to the National trust for Jersey, and returned to nature. Any other outcome involving development of the site, can only demonstrate the extent to which greed and self interest have become endemic in Jersey.