Friday 26 September 2014
Temporary long stay parking on the East Arm at St Peter Port Harbour will become permanent if a planning application for a larger ferry check-in area and freight yard is approved.
Since 2012, the East Arm has provided parking for up to 170 cars, to help offset around 190 spaces lost at North Beach while work has been carried out on the harbour's freight facilities.
The proposed new layout would retain this area of North Beach, currently a temporary trailer compound, to provide additional space for ferry-bound cars and freight in time for the introduction of Condor's new larger vessel. That is expected to begin operating next Spring.
Harbour Master Captain Chad Murray said the revised layout is essential to allow St Peter Port to handle a significant increase in outbound cars and passengers that will need to access the port at the scheduled ferry times. It would also ease current overcrowding for freight operations.
Condor's new Austal 102 catamaran has capacity for 250 cars, but the current marshalling yard has just 90 spaces. The proposed new layout would increase this to 204, and add a third check-in lane to avoid congestion in and around the harbour when sailings are scheduled.
The roll-on roll-off (RoRo) freight compound would also move from its current location to the end of North Beach, and accommodate up to 55 inbound or outbound trailers - an increase of approximately 10. Condor's conventional vessels typically have capacity to carry 65.
Captain Murray said the changes would greatly improve the flow of vehicles around the harbour, from an operational, safety and security perspective.
Around 99% of goods coming to or leaving Guernsey pass through the harbours. St Peter Port handles more than 200,000 tonnes of freight a year, including all food imports, as well as more than 350,000 ferry passengers travelling to and from Jersey, the UK, or France.
Captain Murray said:
'These are lifeline services, which everyone in Guernsey relies upon. We could not function without the goods that come through St Peter Port, and the car ferry links provide vital connections for tourism, leisure and business travel,'
'We have long-standing issues in maintaining these essential port operations, with all the modern security and safety requirements, within the confined area we have at St Peter Port. Condor's new vessel, while offering major improvements in reliability and passenger comfort, brings additional requirements that put further pressure on the limited space available.'
Captain Murray said the fact that no complaints had been received from commuters after the initial change-over showed the revised parking arrangements on East Arm had worked very well.
"For the last 2½ years it has been a convenient alternative while this section of North Beach was unavailable. By making the arrangement permanent, we address some of our space requirements, and also improve port operation and traffic movement in and around the harbour."
Around 20 temporary parking spaces have also been provided on Castle Emplacement during the harbour works. That area is due to be handed back to leisure users at the end of the project.
A comprehensive study of harbour requirements for the next 25 years, published last year, identified space limitations, congestion and traffic flow as major challenges at St Peter Port. The Ports Master Plan also set out priorities for development.
It said: 'The landside area at St Peter Port - comprising the freight storage and handling areas, car marshalling yard, and North Beach Car Park - suffers from limited available space, leading to severe congestion and conflicts between public and commercial operators. Besides restricting operational functionality and efficiency, these conflicts lead to safety and security hazards.'
The refurbishment of freight-handling facilities at St Peter Port has included the replacement of four of the five old harbour cranes with two new ones, and extensive repairs to the berths where goods are lifted on or off vessels. The works are expected to be complete later this year.
-ENDS-
