Watersplash proposals: Let’s take note of the surfers, not the pound signs

From Sam George.

I WAS born near the Watersplash in the summer of 1978 and I feel I must write to set out my concerns over the proposed Watersplash development.

Change is always a good thing, and I am the first to admit that the current Watersplash site, as it has been for 40 years, is in dire need of drastic modernisation. The common-sense approach would be to flatten the existing site and create a modern facility that fits in with the serenity of St Ouen’s Bay, utilising the core components that have made the Splash successful through the generations – a nightclub, a bar and a restaurant.

My first thought which came to me upon viewing the proposals is: Why? Why do we need a Flowrider? This is about as far removed from the ethos of surfing as you can get. After all, this is St Ouen’s Bay, not Typhoon Lagoon in Florida!

Why do we need a monolithic judging tower and international surfing centre? Jersey simply does not get sufficient surf during the summer to warrant a judging tower. We have enough towers as it is in the bay.

As for the surfing centre, I think the proposer, Mr Seymour, may have been to Newquay recently and seen the one there and thought it a good idea. One problem is that Newquay is a town with buildings right to the beach. If common sense prevails, St Ouen’s Bay will never have buildings stretching right to the beach.

What surfer from abroad would choose to come to Jersey for a surfing holiday when the cheaper alternative of the vast untouched swell-drenched beaches of south-west France is just across the pond? The simple answer is nobody.

The waves here in the summer just do not satisfy even the basic surfer’s needs. Surfers travel to areas where the chances of swell are generous and the chances of surfing without crowds is high.

I don’t need to point out that the proposals break nearly every rule in the planning and development rule book; nor will I stress the long-term detrimental effect this will have on the wildlife which grace the shores of St Ouen’s Bay. Increased pollution, crowding, a lack of parking, and health and safety issues have all been well highlighted in previous letters.

If Mr Seymour is a lifelong surfer, why not give something back to the sport that he loves? Something which captures the heritage of the Splash as it is. Something that surfers can be proud of and which relights memories of many a good surf at the beach or a night spent in the Watersplash.

A modern building encompassing the facilities I have highlighted are exactly what is needed – nothing more.

What’s not needed is greed. These plans reek of greed. The States will be thrown to the lions if they pass these proposals, as they will have made a mockery of the stringent planning rulebook. I do not know one surfer or regular beach user who thinks that these proposals are a good idea. The magic of the bay will be shattered if this glorified condo of a plan comes into play.

The idea would work if we resided at a city beach like Fistral beach in Newquay or Newport beach in California, as it would have little impact on the infrastructure that goes into making the area succesful in its own right.

I just hope that Mr Seymour hears the voices of his fellow surfers and beach users, and not the voices of those pound signs ringing in his ears.

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Let’s just hope that St Ouen’s Bay remains unbroken for many years to come.

Assemblée Flat,

Rue de la Porte,

St Ouen.