Moves are afoot in Guernsey to transform the island into a leading e-commerce centre with facilities to rival any competing jurisdiction. A proposal by Specsavers Optical Group to create a Guernsey Technology Park (GTP) addresses the current shortfall in e-commerce accommodation and, according to the company, is the 'catalyst required to initiate Guernsey's launch onto the global e-commerce stage.' Whilst still very early days, the proposed GTP development looks to be paying dividends already. This week it was announced that more than a dozen companies both local and international had registered an interest in taking space at the site.
According to Specsavers, the development at La Villiaze, St Andrews, 'will set a benchmark in business accommodation that is unprecedented in Guernsey, through the provision of high quality, self contained units incorporating clean, modern design and construction techniques.' Specsavers submitted plans to the Island Development Committee in mid-September to build the two-storey, 120,000 sq ft park adjacent to the airport.
Specsavers Chairman Doug Perkins has high hopes for the GTP. His foreword on the GTP website reads: 'The global digital revolution is set to deliver online information and services to everyone, as part of daily life. Whether for work, leisure, shopping or education, provision of services over the Internet will become a central feature of our lives. In the past 30 years the island has developed as a centre of excellence in the finance industry, a strong, well regulated economy with good communication links. Guernsey, with its offshore status and high concentration of business expertise and experience, is already looking to a future as a leading e-commerce centre.'
The development of the GTP has not been the subject of a major promotion campaign, yet a number of Internet-based and light industrial companies have already expressed an interest, including some from the US. Mr Perkins said: 'We have been very impressed with the initial response to our plans for the GTP, which has yet to be marketed at either national or international levels. It is particularly significant that some have expressed a strong interest in installing and running a secure, underground data centre, utilising 40,000 sq ft below the proposed development.
We already know that Guernsey’s finance-dependent economy urgently needs to diversify in the face of growing international security of offshore centres. What we are now seeing is further evidence that e-commerce and light industry offer a genuine alternative for the island’s future prosperity.'
Subject to the Island Development Committee granting permission for the proposed development, the first unit in Guernsey Technology Park could be built and ready for occupation by the end of 2001. Further details can be found at www.gtpl.co.uk.
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