A Coronation, a first glimpse at what the Waterfront could look like (many moons from now) and another construction firm goes under. Richard Heath reviews the month of May
AS already hard-pressed Islanders wearily dragged themselves into May, they could have been forgiven for thinking that the Bank of England was now just taking the mickey – as it hiked interest rates again AND warned that inflation would not drop as quickly as expected. The base rate stood at 4.5% following 12 consecutive rises, and a trip to the supermarket was now enough to reduce a grown man to tears.
But there were still a select few Channel Islanders who were doing alright for themselves thank you very much. The Sunday Times Rich List revealed that the Barclay family – who own a massive mock-Gothic castle on the island of Brecqhou – are still the wealthiest in these fine isles, with £6.418billion to their name. And despite Sir Frederick Barclay being ordered to pay £100 million to his ex-wife and £1 million to his lawyers following a somewhat acrimonious divorce, he had the last laugh – as the family’s fortune still increased by £213 million last year.
Something that would come in handy for most people if they had a draughty old pretend castle to keep warm would be help to pay the heating. And that’s exactly what the government was offering to Islanders – castle owners or otherwise – in May, when it announced it was giving grants to up to 1,000 households to convert to a low-carbon boiler.
Images of how a proposed huge development of the Waterfront could look were released on the first day of a public inquiry into the scheme. The ambitious plans included nearly 1,000 homes, as well as parks and squares, shops and restaurants and a leisure centre. Although the artist’s impressions showed a quite pretty collection of colourful buildings, trees dotted about everywhere and lots of people looking as though they were having a very jolly time, the independent planning inspector later concluded that the whole scheme was a bit of a mess, and the plans went back to the drawing board.
But at least the Waterfront’s Horizon development was nearing completion. And to prove it, they installed a big piece of art – a £250,000, seven-metre tall steel sail – in one of those ferocious wind tunnels between the blocks of expensive new homes.
Construction firms were, however, becoming something of a rarity – and the Island was rocked in May when JP Mauger went into liquidation, just a few months after Camerons went bust. More than 50 jobs were lost, and experts warned that the collapse of the two major construction companies could have a widespread impact, with contractors and supplies being left out of pocket.
And Royal Mail caught everyone by surprise when it announced it wanted to take away our mail plane and instead bung the post on the ferry. The firm said that the proposals, which it had put out to consultation, were all about “simplifying and updating” its operation (saving money, to me and you). And what made this announcement all the more galling was that they were going to let Guernsey keep its plane.
There were though several events and festivals to keep the spirits up during the month. On 6 May, Islanders gathered, ate cakes and scones and drank tea (but probably mainly prosecco) for the Coronation of King Charles III. Three days later, Islanders gathered in the cloud and drizzle to mark Liberation Day with all the usual festivities. In a speech in Liberation Square, the Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, said that the day “reminded us of our commitment to freedom, peace and inclusively”. And thousands wandered around the Harbour, ate some food, drank some more prosecco and marvelled at yachts they’ll never be able to afford as the Barclays Jersey Boat Show got into full swing.
After losing three chief executives in three years, the government began its search for someone to take on the top role in the civil service on an interim basis. The recruitment campaign came following the shock resignation of Suzanne Wylie earlier in March after only a year in the job.
The triumphant Jersey Reds were plastered across the front page on 2 May after they beat Ampthill to secure the RFU Championship for the first time. But that’s pretty much as good as it got, because, owing to their comparatively tiny stadium, among other things, they weren’t actually allowed to be promoted to the Premiership. And that turned out to be the least of their problems, as just a few months later the club folded after running to major financial problems. It would leave fans heartbroken, and the Island without a professional sports club.
Later in the month, a huge fire at the Royal Jersey Golf Club’s depot at Fort Henry in Grouville caused an estimated £1 million worth of damage after destroying offices, sheds, machinery and computer systems.
Asian hornet hunters reported a huge increase in the invasive insects, which were possibly hitching a ride from France on what turned out to be an incessant north-easterly wind.
It was revealed that inspections by the Jersey Care Commission earlier in the year – following anonymous tip-offs – had concluded that three children’s homes were not fit for purpose and were operating outside of the law. Inspectors discovered that they were being run by inadequately trained staff working excessive hours, and found shortcomings in areas such as fire safety, storage of medication and the requirement to follow care plans for children. The damning reports resulted in the homes being closed, as they had breached the law. When the report was published in May, the government said that the issues had since been addressed.
And the Jersey Lifeboat Association was finally cleared to return to service, after being suspended in November 2021 when it pranged its all-weather lifeboat during an call-out. Following an audit by the Jersey Coastguard, observed by the UK’s national maritime emergency service, the JLA engaged in a redeclaration process with Ports of Jersey and by May was back in action.
