Guernsey politicians request £10m QE2 marina gate replacement
Replacing the gates of Guernsey's Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Marina could cost about £10m according to the president of the States Trading Supervisory Board (STSB). STSB has approached Policy and Resources (P&R) to discuss how the project could be funded. Deputy Peter Roffey said the best way to fund the project would be through a loan from the States as this was a "a key bit of infrastructure" that was coming to the end of its life.P&R said it had only recently been made aware of the STSB proposal and had expressed its concerns to the board.
Roffey admitted it was an expensive project for the States. Non-States member of the STSB and Chair of the Guernsey Ports board Simon Thornton led the delegation to P&R to request the funds. Some of the marina users said they hoped the new gate would be 2m, rather than the current 1m gate. Head of infrastructure delivery at Guernsey Ports, Jenny Giles said: "The QEII gates and surrounding infrastructure are coming to the end of their useful life."Due to their age, the constant use and the exposure to weather and tide conditions all year round, the gates and the surrounding infrastructure are showing considerable signs of wear with repairs being required more frequently."The gates are constantly monitored by Guernsey Ports' team and more recent surveys have established that it would be more cost effective to replace the gates rather than continue with the substantial repairs which are likely to increase year on year."
The QE2 marina was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, although it first opened in 1987 and the gates have operated 26,280 times.This would be the first time the main gates have been replaced since the facility was constructed.Last year, two new pontoons were installed at the QE2 Marina at a cost of £1.4m. Politicians also clashed with boat owners in 2024 after they increased the cost of moorings in St Peter Port alongside promises these increases would lead to further investments in Guernsey's harbours.Ahead of Guernsey's general election at one of BBC Guernsey's roadshows, chair of the Guernsey Development Agency Peter Watson criticised the lack of spending on infrastructure.
Mr Watson said: "I really want to see some strategic working, I think they need to be brave, Guernsey has some big issues which need resolving. "We need infrastructure, we haven't spent on it in years."We really just have to build some infrastructure and move Guernsey forward."BBC Guernsey's next election roadshow is on 28 May at Vistas café.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK trade secretary to seek exemption from US steel and aluminium tariffs
The UK's trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet his US counterpart next week to thrash out a timeline for exempting the UK from US steel and aluminium tariffs after Donald Trump announced he would double them. British officials are seeking clarity on the implications of Trump's announcement on Friday night that he planned to double the tariffs from 25% to 50% from Wedneday 4 June, piling further pressure on global steel trade. Reynolds is expected to meet his US counterpart, Jamieson Greer , at the OECD meeting in Paris next week. He will seek to agree a timeline for implementing the deal agreed to lower steel, aluminium, auto and other product tariffs. A UK government spokesperson said: 'The UK was the first country to secure a trade deal with the US earlier this month and we remain committed to protecting British business and jobs across key sectors, including steel.' 'We are engaging with the US on the implications of the latest tariff announcement and to provide clarity for industry.' The Guardian reported that British officials were intensifying trade talks with the US and hope to see the deal implemented within weeks. A government source said: 'Some countries are viewing the court ruling as an indication that they were right not to negotiate over tariffs. We're taking the opposite view, and trying to get this deal implemented as soon as possible.' Trump and Keir Starmer announced a US-UK trade deal earlier this month under which on British steel and aluminium will be reduced to zero, and tariffs on up to 100,000 British cars a year will be reduced from 25% to 10%. The deal did not cover Trump's blanket 10% tariffs on all foreign imports, which a federal court overturned last week, arguing that the US president had overstepped his powers. An appeals court paused the ruling and said Trump's tariffs could continue while it examines the arguments. The European Commission said on Saturday that it 'strongly' regretted Trump's decision to double steel and aluminium tariffs, and warned that the EU was prepared to retaliate. 'This decision adds further uncertainty to the global economy and increases costs for consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,' a spokesperson for the commission said, adding that 'the tariff increase also undermines ongoing efforts to reach a negotiated solution'. 'The EU is prepared to impose countermeasures, including in response to the latest U.S. tariff increase.' 'The European Commission is currently finalising consultations on expanded countermeasures. If no mutually acceptable solution is reached, both existing and additional EU measures will automatically take effect on 14 July – or earlier, if circumstances require.'
Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Fayed ‘bought Diana's old school to groom and rape girls'
Mohamed al-Fayed raped and sexually assaulted girls at Princess Diana's old boarding school, it has been claimed. A former teacher has alleged the former Harrods owner bought West Heath School in Sevenoaks, Kent as a way of grooming young pupils. Fayed, who died in 2023 aged 94, is said to have raped a girl, caused the suicide of another and fathered a baby with an under-age pupil, according to another former staff member at West Heath. The tycoon purchased Diana's old school for £2,300,000 in May 1998, almost a year after she died in a car crash in Paris alongside his son, Dodi, with whom she had been having a relationship. Fayed, who also owned Fulham FC, said at the time that he wanted to protect the school where the Princess said she had enjoyed some of the happiest times of her life. But a former teacher has now alleged that Fayed used his ownership of the independent school as an opportunity to meet young girls and invite them to his home and workplace to exploit them. James (not his real name), told The Sun: 'Fayed would come to the school sometimes and it would be the big Mohamed show, like when he came with celebrities. He brought Madonna in 2010. 'But there were other times when he'd come to just stroll in alone and start talking to the girls. 'I always thought it was creepy and odd. I know that's easy to say in hindsight, but I did. 'No one seemed to stop him because he'd saved the school from closing. He was free to wander around and do whatever he liked. 'I never thought that was right. I thought the headmistress should have been walking round with him, but she might not even have realised that he was there.' A woman who worked at the school has claimed one pupil at West Heath, which was an all-girls boarding school when the Princess attended, but now caters for both girls and boys whose mainstream education has broken down, told her of an attack by Fayed. The woman, named only as Jessica, told Alison Kervin, the author of a new book about Fayed: 'I couldn't get her to go to the police, and she refused to tell anyone at the school but me. I guess that because I wasn't part of the teaching staff, she felt safer telling me. She was nervous and crying. 'Fayed had invited her to Harrods and attacked her in the boardroom. He didn't manage to rape her, but he tore her clothes and he hurt her. She kicked him and he slapped her and called her an ungrateful animal. 'He said that he would pull the money out of the school and close it down if she said anything. She was terrified. She felt like she was to blame, and nothing I said would calm her down.' Jessica alleges she has also been made aware of other girls who were attacked by Fayed and at least one who was raped. She has reported her findings to her lawyers and plans to contact the Harrods Survivors support group on their behalf. 'When I spoke to lawyers, they put me on to some lawyers working with a lot of the victims, and they were already aware of the claims. They said they had been contacted by girls at the school and by the relatives of one girl who had committed suicide,' she told Kervin, the author of The Monster of Harrods. Jessica added: 'The family are convinced it was because of what she went through with Fayed. I know they are also investigating that he fathered a love child with an under-age girl.' More than 100 women accuse tycoon More than 100 alleged victims have contacted police to say they were sexually abused by the tycoon. The youngest is thought to have been 13 at the time. A number of allegations were made against Fayed while he was still alive. Investigators twice sent files for a charging decision to the Crown Prosecution Service – in 2008 relating to three victims and in 2015 linked to one other. On another three occasions – in 2018, 2021 and 2023 – the CPS was asked for what is called early investigative advice, but the matters were not pursued further by police. Asked if he suspected Fayed was trying to recruit girls at West Heath, James said: 'There's no question that he was. I know he told girls he could get them jobs and he'd give them things from Harrods. 'He invited a couple of the girls to his house. I spoke to another teacher and we went to talk to a senior member of staff about it. They said that it was fine and we shouldn't worry, but it wasn't fine. 'He shouldn't have been there. Benefactor or not, a man of that age should not be mixing with young girls, offering them lifts in his Rolls-Royce and buying them presents before inviting them to his house.' The teacher said that when details of Fayed's predatory behaviour first emerged he 'literally punched the wall in anger and frustration', adding: 'I should have done more.' West Heath School says on its website that it is sponsored by the Alfayed Charitable Foundation. This is overseen by Fayed's widow Heini Wathen-Fayed, his son Omar and daughter Camilla. The school describes itself as 'a living memorial to the life and work of its most famous former pupil Diana, Princess of Wales, who spent many happy days here'. In a statement, it said: 'We have no further information other than what is currently in the news. We do not tolerate abuse or harassment in any form.'
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
There's nothing left of the man that was Harry, he's erratic and just watching Meghan crack on, expert says
PRINCE Harry is nothing but a shell of his former self as he watches his wife Meghan Markle succeed in her life, an has claimed. The Duke of Sussex also appears to be "erratic" in his behaviour, given his latest "random" visit to China, which clashed with King Charles and Queen Camilla's visit to Canada, the expert added. 3 All of this comes while his wife Meghan has engaged in a major re-brand this year, launching her new podcast and finding success with her business As Ever. Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive Show, broadcaster and writer Esther Krakue said Harry's visit to China for his sustainable travel charity Travalyst was done as he "has nothing left". She said: "If you think about it critically, what else does he [Harry] have left? "I mean, he's resigned from Sentebale, while it's being investigated. "He's no longer a working royal, [and while] he has his other charity work with the Invictus Games, his involvement is not as in-depth because it's every few years. "This [Travalyst] is really all he has left." Esther added that Meghan's continued success meant Harry was living in her shadow, leaving him with nothing left of his former self. She continued: "It kind of feels like [this] because there's nothing left. "He's just watching Meghan go from experiment to experiment, you know, taking his kids to school and dropping them off - but really, there isn't much there in terms of the man. "What is the man about?" Harry's an angry hot-head who blew up his life in 10 minutes & there's only one way he'll rein in his temper The Duke of Sussex spoke in Shanghai about the importance of sustainable travel on the same day that the King and Queen landed in Ottawa for a whistlestop Canadian visit. The royals visited The Great White North in order to open a session of parliament, which included an impassioned speech from Charles on the importance of Canada's independence. However, one royal expert said Harry would have been mistaken if he thought his recent "diary clash" stunt visit to China would overshadow the King's trip to Canada. She added that his appearance in China felt "random" and "surprising", adding to what "appears to be an erratic year" for Harry. Speaking on the Duke of Sussex's visit, Royal Correspondent Bronte Coy explained: "It is a little bit random, to be honest. "And again, because it popped up that exact same day as the royals arrived in Canada, it had a bit of an odd feel to it - more so than usual. "It's kind of the latest in what appears to be a bit of an erratic year for him - it was surprising." If Harry thought his China stunt would overshadow the King's Canada trip he was sorely mistaken, expert says PRINCE Harry was mistaken if he thought his recent stunt visit to China would overshadow the King's trip to Canada, a royal expert has said. The Duke of Sussex made a shock solo appearance in the east Asian nation on the same day King Charles and Queen Camilla touched down in Canada for a crucial state visit. Harry was attending a global travel and tourism conference in Shanghai while the King ceremonially opened a session of the Canadian Parliament - being the first monarch to do so since 1957. However, a royal expert has claimed that if Harry attempted to overshadow the King's visit to Canada, he failed. Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive Show, royal correspondent Bronte Coy said Charles' "impactful" speech was miles above what Harry could have achieved in his time in China. In response to a question of whether Harry could be "trying to steal the limelight", she said his stage appearance "didn't really make the cut". Harry's visit to China saw him speak on the importance of sustainable travel on behalf of Travalyst, an organisation he co-founded, which promotes environmentally friendly tourism. During his address to the Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference, Harry told the travel industry it needed to do more to hit its climate change targets before 2030. He added that the Asia-Pacific region is "strongly positioned to do this". Linking this back to Meghan's own life and recent changes, Bronte added: "Meghan has had a very clear career strategy this year - we've seen it roll out - there is a plan in place. "With Harry, it feels so scattergun. It's largely been the court cases - when I think of what has happened this year in terms of what he's generated headlines for and the work he's been doing. "It's been the interview he did after losing that court case in the UK - and the interview and speaking about his father. "He pops up in China for this on the day that his father and stepmother arrive in Canada. "And it just, again, feeds that narrative that there doesn't seem to be a clear approach of what he's doing. "He seems lost." While in China, Harry addressed the Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference, telling the travel industry it needed to do more to hit its climate change targets before 2030.
