Falklands : Falklands Public Meeting Report (090818)
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 22.08.2009 (Article Archived on 05.09.2009)
A public meeting was held in the Court and Council Chamber of the Town Hall on Tuesday, 18 August 2009.
PUBLIC MEETING REPORT (18/08/09)
By J. Brock (FINN)
A public meeting was held in the Court and Council Chamber of the Town Hall on Tuesday, 18 August 2009. Present were Cllrs Cockwell, Hansen, Summers (Chair), Clausen, and Robertson. Less than 20 members of the public were present at the beginning of the venue but more came in after the meeting had started.
The subject matter consisted of the deep water port, the Port Howard Terminal, Dr Chris Doyle’s report, BFBS, capping the roads on the West, smoking in public places, HMS Endurance and the Jhellum. Dr Barry Elsby asked about when there would be a public meeting about the deep water port. Cllr Summers said that Ken Johnson wasn’t in the Islands but on a combination of work and leave. He went on to say that not enough information had been gathered that could make a meaningful public meeting. Cllr Robertson said that she welcomed a public meeting on the subject because it is good to hear the views of the general public about the deep water port.
Willie Bowles asked about how many prospective locations are on the short list and when would we know which location would be chosen. Cllr Cockwell said that the site won’t be chosen until the users of the deep water port are known. Once that is known it will help to make the decision.
Tim Miller asked if Mr Johnson was in consultation with potential users. Cllr Cockwell said that as a result of the recent meeting at the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce Mr Johnson had been instructed to consult with potential fisheries, tourism and other commercial users.
Cllr Summers said that known locations were Mare Harbour, Port Hariott, Berkley Sound, two locations in Port William, and FIPASS. The Military had ruled out Mare Harbour but the final decision would depend on the deep water port’s usage.
Mike Forrest wanted to know if the tourism industry was consulted.
Cllr Cockwell said that answers weren’t black and white and that if a facility were available to tourism the vessels would use it – maybe. Tourism and the fishing industry did not go well together and it is thought that cruise ships will continue to use Stanley Harbour and Port William with a tender service to ferry passengers to and from Stanley.
Cllr Summers said it was a case of risk management and that everything could be laid on for the tourism industry and they might not use the port in favour of Stanley Harbour and Port William. It was difficult to assess the risk. We would have a big facility and have to pay for upkeep, etc and seek business alternatives to keep revenue coming in.
Cllr Summers said that FIPASS would have to remain open though barges would be removed. There needed to be a fuel facility in the area. Cllr Robertson mentioned that Stanley Services would be kept in the loop.
Asked about the cost, Cllr Summers said it would be between £20 and 50 Million but the amount of money spent would depend on the deep water port’s final use.
Tim Miller mentioned that containerised freight could be accepted for cruise ships. Cllr Cockwell mentioned that barges and sea trucks could deliver containerised cargo to cruise ships as it is done at ports on other Islands.
Cllr Summers mentioned that this would mean increased activity and that we would need the services of a tug. He went on to say that one in Punta Arenas was used all day once to keep a ship alongside its moorings and that was expensive.
Greald Cheek mentioned that there was no tug service each time he went to Ushuaia and things seemed to go well.
Cllr Cockwell said that we must make sure that the deep water port pays for itself. Ruth Taylor asked if there was a time-scale for all of this. Cllr Clausen said that a paperwould be presented in November/December and that there were still investigations concerning the short-listed sites. Ruth Taylor asked if there would be a public meeting and Cllr Clausen said there would be one once enough relevant information was gathered.
There were a few questions about the ferry terminal at Port Howard. Cllr Summers said that funding had been approved and that basic design work had been completed and approved.
Mike Forrest asked whether Dr Chris Doyle’s report had been received. Cllr Summers said it had been 3 or 4 days ago but that it was not in the right format to be published. It had to go to EXCO and prepared for publication in due course.
Peter McGill asked about Mount Moriah and BFBS to camp. Cllr Summers said that the plan was to keep the radio going and replace the antiquated analogue system with the awaited digital system. Peter McGill mentioned that some farms had been without TB and/or radio for a matter of years and Cllr Hansen agreed. Ruth Taylor asked about the cost to the public for BFBS TV and Cllr Summers said that the Government was working on options, one of which was a mast on Sapper Hill and the other was to use a private contractor. He went on to say that the costs of installation and equipment had gone down considerably and so would the cost to the public.
Roads on the West would be capped from the difficult spots and working outwards. The Roads Engineer is aware of the problem and is working on it. It is the winter weather that helps to deteriorate the roads that are uncapped. Cllr Robertson said there were four or five places that had been identified and Cllr Cockwell mentioned that the road to Port Stevens had deteriorated during the winter. Cllr Summers said it was a priority to upgrade roads used in conjunction with the Ferry Service.
Ruth Taylor asked about progress on the smoking in public places legislation. Cllr Clausen said it was being drafted but that there were other legislative priorities that had to be dealt with before this was considered.
Tim Miller asked when Legislative Assembly would be dissolved prior to elections and Cllr Summers said it would be 25 September. EXCO would continue to meet until new Councillors were elected. He went on to say that it would be best if there were no public meeting next month because it would seem Too much like electioneering. However, there were three public meetings next week. One public meeting had to do with Councillors’ pay and the other two about the Economic Development Strategy.
Gerald Cheek asked about HMS Endurance and whether she would be back in the Antarctic and the Falklands. Cllr Summers said the repair bill is reported to be £20 Million. He went on to say there would be strenuous representations if the Endurance was withdrawn.
Willie Bowles asked whether the Jhellum would be dismantled. Cllr Cockwell said that it was too dangerous to dismantle. Cllr Summers said that it would be expensive to take away and could just fall down at little expense.
The meeting ended 20 minutes early.
|
