From Keith Harris.
AS we are all doubtless aware, the ambience and former natural beauty of Havre des Pas, a place so near and yet so far removed now from the prestigious maritime gateway to St Helier, has in recent years been irreparably violated, scourged and savagely disfigured for all to see by a hideously grotesque land reclamation – nay, land decimation – that is currently being crowned, as if with Christ’s flesh-tearing thorns, by a foul and toxic incinerator designed to rid this world of the entire Island’s combustible waste matter.
If the powers that be, in their infinite but yet highly questionable wisdom, have rezoned Havre des Pas as the Island’s bio-hazard-ridden bin yard, then so be it. But for such sacrifice, I am of the opinion that if Havre des Pas is to bear the brunt of such an unbelievably crass and ill-conceived coast scarring atrocity, which is bound to adversely affect both human and marine life there, then it is only fair that the Island as a whole should share the burden of
the rates rise proposed for residents and businesses alike in St Helier.
I propose a single Island-wide rates system which would be fairer for everyone. After all, it is we of St Helier and more particularly it is we of Havre des Pas who are going to have to live with the bleak prospect of continuous health threatening exposure to the inevitable disgusting airborne emissions and sea foaming seepages which the rest of the Island is going to be lumbering us with from now on and into the increasingly uncertain future that we are all facing under the threat of global warming.
From my flat, I often look across the beach to the west in utter disbelief at the scarred and ugly coastline that has become the unacceptable backdrop of Havre des Pas swimming pool. And then, after a moment or two of quiet contemplation but not passive acceptance, I wonder what happened to Planning and Environment, failed guardians of our once jewel-like Isle.
