St Helena : St Helena Companies Ordinance, 2004
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Nathan Prince) 29.07.2010 (Article Archived on 26.08.2010)
The Companies Ordinance, 2004, established a Companies Registry in St. Helena. The Registry is (in accordance with section 212 of the Ordinance) administered by the Registrar of Companies under the general supervision of the Attorney General.
Press Release by the Attorney General
Companies Ordinance, 2004
The Companies Ordinance, 2004, established a Companies Registry in St. Helena. The Registry is (in accordance with section 212 of the Ordinance) administered by the Registrar of Companies under the general supervision of the Attorney General.
The Ordinance has now been in operation for a little over 5 years, which seems a good time to review its effectiveness and fitness for purpose. A review at this time can identify opportunities to improve the working of the Registry in the short term; but can also inform officials and Councillors as to any changes which might be desirable to make the Ordinance ‘fit for purpose’ in an era of impending air access and economic development.
I have therefore instructed the Registrar to undertake a ‘Regulatory Audit’ of the operation of the Registry since its creation, and report to me as soon as is practicable. To enable this work to be completed as efficiently as possible, the Registry will not (unless there is a legal time limit to be met) process new work while the audit is in progress. It is estimated that this will take about three weeks, during which time forms may be filed but will not be acted upon until the review is complete.
St Helena Tourism Short-term Project Components Update
The short-term tourism project funded by DfID has been progressing well, and should be completed soon.
We’re pleased to update you on the following projects under this £100,000 fund:
Signage: To highlight tourist areas making them more visible and improve the information and interpretative display.
The upgraded directional signage to replace most of the island’s directional signs is being produced and is due to be completed in September. In the next few months the installation of interpretation panels for 12 visitor attraction sites is due to take place. These interpretation panels will help to bring the sites alive and provide interesting information for all visitors. This will greatly support the built and natural heritage and the opportunities to understand and enjoy St Helena’s primary tourism assets. A number of road signs for Jamestown has also been ordered and is hoped to be installed shortly. For all of you walkers, you will notice that signage has been improved on the Post Box walk trails. The ‘Welcome to St Helena’ sign is also being constructed overseas and will be made on a stone panel carved by a professional stone carver – it is hoped that this sign will bear the Island’s crest like most other overseas territories.
Yachting: To implement measures aimed at quality and attraction improvement as well as marketing which will increase the number of visiting yachts.
At present, 15 safe moorings have been laid, with another 5 to be done. Once all 20 are in place, visiting yachts will be able to moor off the island with some peace of mind. The toilet and shower block for yachties is just about completed and now has a solar powered hot water facility. A new brochure for yachting visitors is also nearing completion and will soon be uploaded onto the website, distributed to various yacht clubs in South Africa and will be available on the island. A full page advert has been placed in the South African Sailing Magazine to promote the Governor’s Cup Yacht Race 2010; so far the number of entrants stands at 16. The race starts on 01 December 2010. Reviews and improvements of the yachting product will continue, for example providing truck trolleys to carry fuel and provisions to the Wharf, improving access to fuel and water for yachts and providing up-to-date information.
Re-opening of High Knoll Fort:
To make High Knoll Fort an accessible visitor attraction site since its closure. It has been closed to visitors for the past two years because of partial collapse and further instability of parts of the perimeter walls. An assessment has been made to ascertain the possibility of re-opening critical parts, including the Martello tower.
The temporary ‘chival de frise’ styled barrier fencing to deter access to the structurally unsafe parts of the fort walls is currently being made and it is hoped for this fencing to be completed before the planned re-opening celebration event scheduled for December this year. This event will be advertised in due course. The restoration/part replacement of metal handrails is completed and appropriate signage and interpretation boards will soon be erected. This project is very much supported by the St Helena National Trust.
The Run: The Main Street Project
The Run is highlighted as having potential for visitors to explore the town behind the facades and away from traffic, with the pleasure of sight and sound of running water in an otherwise arid part of the town. Proposals put forward address some of the shortcomings of Main Street and the dilapidated and inaccessible part of The Run.
Many will remember the visioning exercise that was co-ordinated by SHDA which included a collaborative effort resulting in a new plan to maximise the appeal and improve the appearance of Jamestown. The project has many facets, most of which involve physical works not able to be completed in this financial year. However, ‘The Main Street Project’ is being put forward as a component under the Tourism Development Plan. The Run has now been designated a programme for tidying, clearing and restoring the stone structure of the waterway.
Oral History Project:
There exists an extensive collection of deteriorating tapes of interviews with elderly residents and others, and more are programmed with remaining traditional craft workers (especially makers of the highly sought after St Helenian lace). It is aimed for the tapes to be catalogued and the contents transferred to digital media for improved access and long-term storage.
Work continues with the cataloguing of the extensive collection of deteriorating tapes of interviews with elderly residents, traditional craft workers and others for transfer to digital media for accessing and long-term storage. This is being done with a view to enabling visitors to hear the recordings in the context of visual displays and to improve social learning. The digital equipment has been ordered for this component.
Improve ‘Napoleon’s Tomb’ visitor site:
Improve the flow of traffic and congestion problems near the Tomb Road and provide much needed toilet facilities in this district of the island. These new toilets will prove very useful for both visitors and local residents.
This involves clearing and levelling the quarry site at the Tomb Road to widen and re-grade the entrance, and build a new toilet block (including a unit for the disabled) clad with timber boarding. These new toilets will prove very useful for both visitors and local residents.
Long-term tourism project – Tourism Development Plan (TDP) update:
As previously advised, a further £1.2 million has been approved for tourism development over a period of 3 years drawing on the priorities identified in the Tourism Report by Catherine Leech. These focus on marketing, destination management, product development and the efficiency of our services. A project memorandum is currently being developed to reflect the various components of the Tourism Development Plan. The memorandum will then be submitted to DfID to enable funding to be released to implement the Plan.
A provisional Tourism Commission has now been set up to help take forward these priorities on the ground, under the political guidance of the ‘Civil Society, Tourism & Leisure Committee’ of the Legislative Council.
Gemma George
Marketing & Research Executive
Tourist Office
28 July 2010
|
