QUESTIONS over the future of Gorey Pier have been raised by boat owners – alongside concerns that the area has been “neglected” for years – after Ports of Jersey submitted plans to remove the deteriorating landing stage at the end of the grade-one listed structure.
The Gorey Boat Owners Association is due to “consider its position” in relation to the recently-lodged planning application from Ports, which seeks permission for the removal of the upper deck and support pillars, as well as the installation of temporary support bracing from the lower deck to the original pier structure.
Ports has said the work is the first phase of a “wider stabilisation strategy” designed to protect the pier’s “long-term stability and heritage”.
The landing stage has been closed completely since 2023, following extensive inspections, surveys and tests undertaken after Royal Engineers raised safety concerns in 2022.
Ports has previously stated that there is “significant” structural deterioration, which has also been found in the former terminal building at the end of the pier.
Subject to planning approval, the work to remove the landing stage could begin in March.
But GBOA chair Barry Faudemer told the JEP there was “a groundswell of concern that the demolition is not accompanied by any vision of what the future will hold for the pier”.
He explained that the sassociation “hasn’t made a determination yet”, but would be convening soon to discuss the matter further – with a view to potentially challenging the application.
“Our concern is that it will turn into another La Folie-type situation, where there is inertia and inaction for a number of years,” Mr Faudemer added.
He also said there was a “strong feeling that the pier has been neglected for many years” and that there had been “missed opportunities” to encourage more visiting leisure boats to Gorey.
“We do appreciate the efforts of the individual members of Ports who try their best to maintain what is there, but it does seem like a managed decline.”
And GBOA vice-chair Paul Achler said the Association had been “fighting for Gorey to be updated for several years” but that this “seems to fall on deaf ears”.
However, Jersey’s Harbour Master, Captain Bill Sadler, stressed that the pier’s unsafe landing stage was a “critical issue” that was “also endangering the rest of the historic structure”.
He emphasised that the initial focus was on “making sure the pier is safe and secure”, but explained that “the vision for Gorey” would be looked at during later phases of work.
“It is a gem, in terms of a truly mixed-use port. You’ve got leisure boat users, you’ve got commercial charters like Seafaris and you’ve also got commercial fishermen,” he said, adding that it was also “in a great location”.
He described Ports’ relationship with the GBOA as “really good” and “pragmatic”.
