Update on Longue Hougue inert waste facility welcomed by Constable

Vale Senior Constable Richard Leale has broadly welcomed the results of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) on using part of Belle Greve Bay for storing inert waste when the current facility is full in 2023.

Details of the study were discussed with parish officials and a number of questions answered as representatives of the States outlined why the chosen area, Longue Hougue South, was the preferred option.

Mr Leale said he understood and accepted the reasoning provided and was grateful for the opportunity to attend the presentation arranged by States Trading Assets.

Reassured
He said that parishioners would be reassured by steps being taken to relocate a colony of rare scaly crickets from the site to protect them and by reassurances by consultants Royal Haskoning, which conducted the EIA, that the impact of the reclamation was either minimal or could be mitigated.

His own view remained that the timescales imposed by the pressing need for an alternative to Longue Hougue for inert waste meant that the obvious site for disposal – the former Longue Hougue Quarry in Bulwer Avenue – couldn't properly be considered.

Using the quarry would have provided useful industrial land in an already industrial area, he said, and had planning occurred earlier, Les Vardes Quarry could have been prepared as a replacement reservoir for water storage.

Preferred option
"That said, the presentation made it clear just why Longue Hougue South is the States' preferred option," he said.

The study indicated that while scaly crickets are very rare – just two known sites exist in the UK – they are more common in Guernsey as another seven sites have been discovered. Numbers at Longue Hougue fluctuate because they are a favourite prey of spiders, also found in the area.

• When created, the new facility will be able to accommodate builders' rubble for 12 to 15 years.
• The EIA presentation can be found here