Guernsey Harbours Local Planning Brief published for Planning Inquiry

Tibbalds, as lead consultant, working for the Development and Planning Authority has been supported by specialist consultants AspinallVerdi, Momentum, Beckett Rankine, Expedition, and Fisher Associates. Our leadership and collaboration with the team and a broad range of key stakeholders has been key in driving the project forward.

Since being appointed in the summer of 2023, Tibbalds has taken the project through a range of stages including stakeholder and community engagement, and working closely with our expert team to build a strong evidence base for the LPB. This groundwork has been crucial in shaping the document and its spatial strategy, ensuring that it aligns with the needs of the harbours and the island.

Our approach is rooted in a strong understanding of the key issues facing these harbours today, and how they function and what they need for the future. We’ve considered the harbours’ vital roles in serving the island, from water access and leisure activities to industry and tourism. With both islanders and visitors in mind, our strategy carefully balances these diverse demands.

At the heart of our vision is resilience and in particular the needs of people as they move around and spend time within the harbours and the adjacent main towns. From decarbonization and climate change to economic shifts, we’ve worked to anticipate a range of future changes and needs for these important areas over the next decades. We’ve looked closely at how people use the harbours, the infrastructure they’ll need, and how the land that is available can accommodate growth and transformation whilst at the same time keeping the harbours safe and meeting the needs of the island.

The LPB itself is structured around six key themes, focusing on harbour resilience, supporting the marine sector, expanding land use, celebrating culture, tourism, and heritage, improving movement efficiency, and ensuring climate resilience. These themes are the backbone of the LPB, linking to 18 new planning policies and two proposals maps.

Following two stages of pre-inquiry consultation the next milestone will be the inquiry this December, with the hope that the LPB will be adopted as a formal amendment to the Island Development Plan following the States Debate in April 2025. We’re excited to see how this transformative work will shape Guernsey’s harbours for years to come.

Details of the consultation can be found here.