The Weekly Briefing from The Quarry

• Public bonfires to mark Bonfire Night may take place between Tuesday 3rd and Saturday 7th November
• Our map is updating automatically to show where and when they are taking place
• Organisers of bonfire and fireworks events are encouraged to register details at gov.gg/events to inform neighbours and pet owners
• Bonfires must use only clean wood and dry garden vegetation, not waste materials that produce dark smoke
• Anyone planning a firework display within three miles of the airport must notify Guernsey Airport seven days in advance

A free website that asks three quick questions, about what you enjoy, how active you’d like to be and where on the island you are, then suggests local clubs, groups and volunteering to match is being tested by The Quarry before it’s entered into this year’s G-Prize. Please let us know what you think!

Join In Guernsey: help test a free guide that matches you to local clubs, groups and activities

The Quarry - Independent news from GuernseyThe Quarry

In other news...

• States refuse FOI request for Electronic Patient Record programme details, citing exemption for information that would be 'premature' to disclose despite programme's September closure
• EPR programme budget increased from initial £20m approval to £23.7m, representing at least 18.5% overrun, with final costs still unclear
• Extensive FOI request sought detailed financial breakdowns, supplier contracts, post-implementation performance data, and benefits realisation information
• Committee to publish Programme Closure Report before end of 2026, but detailed supplier expenditure excluded as commercially sensitive
• Scrutiny Management Committee establishing independent Investigative Review Panel to examine programme delivery

• Vintage photographs of Guernsey fishermen from the 1950s and 60s will be exhibited and auctioned to raise funds for the RNLI
• The collection features black-and-white portraits by late photographer Carel Toms, donated by former Mora restaurant owners Nello and Della Ciotti
• Subjects include well-known local seafarers such as Sydney Robilliard, Tom Le Prevost, Captain Fred Noyon and the Down brothers
• The exhibition runs at Sùla Framing & Gallery from 4th to 14th November 2026, with a sealed-bid auction throughout
• Proceeds will benefit the Guernsey Lifeboat Fundraising Committee, reflecting the historical connection between local fishermen and lifeboat crews

• Mont Cuet Household Green Waste site switches to winter hours from 16 November until 29 March 2027
• Site will open Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm, closed all other days
• Winter schedule introduced two weeks later than previously following review of high demand
• Accepted green waste is turned into free compost available at Longue Hougue
• Site excludes chemically treated waste, Japanese knotweed, plant pots, stones and noxious weeds

• Ambulance service launches 2027 subscription scheme with child subscriptions costing £35 a year, compared to £610 for a single emergency call-out
• Chief Ambulance Officer urges families to consider whether they can afford unexpected ambulance bills
• Subscriptions cover emergency call-outs, eligible non-emergency patient transfers and marine ambulance responses via Flying Christine III
• Service responds to around 10,000 calls annually, with approximately 7,000 emergency and urgent cases
• Adult subscriptions cost £75 and senior citizens £53, available online or at Guernsey Post branches

• Sport in the Library returns for its fourth year on Saturday 21st November at the Guille-Allès Library
• Free event runs from 10am to 2pm on the library's upper floor, featuring cheerleading, squash, table tennis and boxing
• Joint initiative by Guille-Allès Library and Sports Commission aims to provide indoor sporting activities during November weather
• Sarnia Legacy Cheerleading, Guernsey Squash, Guernsey Boxing and Guernsey Table Tennis Association will participate
• Library will also encourage reading with a dedicated area showcasing sports books

• A Torch Afloat, the final novel in Sean McManus's Ebb & Flow Trilogy, launches on 6 November 2025
• The trilogy is set in the Channel Islands around 269-270 CE during the Crisis of the 3rd Century
• The concluding volume features a renegade Roman decurion seeking refuge in Jersey and a climactic battle near Guernsey
• The series follows two young islanders, Unel and Broerec, on their journey from adolescence to adulthood
• The first two volumes, Teeth of the Conger and Pool of Wisdom, were published in November 2024 and October 2025 respectively

• Charity Grow reports £700 worth of plants and materials appear to have been taken without payment over the weekend
• Missing items include hanging baskets, various plants including Hebes and Primroses, plus woodchip and compost
• The charity operates an honesty-based payment system using an honesty box and card machine
• CCTV footage is being reviewed and those responsible are being given opportunity to make payment
• The charity supports adults with learning disabilities and relies on plant sales to fund its work

• Nominations now open for the 22nd annual Sporting Achievement Awards hosted by the Guernsey Sports Commission
• The awards celebrate sporting excellence from grassroots to world-class level across 12 different categories
• Nominations must be submitted by Monday 7th December via the online form on the Commission's website
• The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 7th January 2027 at Beau Sejour's David Ferguson Hall from 6.30pm
• Local sporting organisations are encouraged to nominate their top teams, coaches and individuals for recognition

• Guernsey Water has added new self-service features to its MyCesspit Portal as it approaches its second anniversary
• Registered users can now cancel collections, remove or amend cancellation periods, and report missed collections online
• The new functions address the most common customer service enquiries, allowing account management without telephoning
• Around half of all cesspit customers have registered since the portal launched two years ago
• Emergency collection requests continue to be handled by telephone on a 24/7 basis

• Guernsey Hard of Hearing charity has funded upgraded Visual Reinforcement Audiometry equipment for children's hearing assessments
• The new system will particularly benefit older children, those with autism or developmental delay, and children with visual impairment
• Upgraded equipment helps keep children engaged longer and enables clinicians to gather more reliable results within fewer appointments
• The system combines sounds with visual rewards such as lights or animations to encourage children to respond when they hear a noise
• Parents can access the service through referrals from GPs, health visitors, school nurses, ENT specialists, speech therapists, or paediatricians

• Fort George outfall repaired and operating normally following installation of new pipe section
• Work completed on 28 October by Guernsey Ports dive team during favourable tidal window
• Additional visits required to complete concrete block protection around pipe
• Guernsey Water to increase frequency of inspections on the outfall to monitor its condition
• Utility company thanked public for patience during repair work

• National Trust of Guernsey secures conveyance of land at Crève Coeur after more than 30 years of negotiations
• Trust initially leased land to States in 1995 for landfill extension at £1 per year following urgent capacity concerns
• Former landfill site has developed into wildlife haven with ground-nesting birds, hawks and owls establishing themselves
• Land conveyed extends beyond original field, encompassing wider Crève Coeur area plus additional adjoining land
• Trust to develop sustainable management plan responding to modern environmental challenges and protecting established wildlife

Roads this week

19 road closures start between Thursday 5 November and Wednesday 11 November, 4 of them on bus routes. Check your road or bus route on our live map, updated every two hours.

Thursday 5 November

• St Jacques, St Peter Port: New duct to property. Until Fri 6 Nov.
• Les Ruettes, St Andrew: House Move. Until Fri 6 Nov.

Saturday 7 November

• Guernsey Football Association, St Sampson: GFC match - road closure. Between peaks.

Sunday 8 November

• Doyle Street, St Peter Port: Construction of an accessible ramp outside the rear of Sarnia House on Doyle Street. Until Sat 14 Nov.
• Remembrance Day 2026 - St Peter Port, St Peter Port: Closure of streets on Parade Route and around Cenotaph along with associated…. Between peaks.
• Remembrance Sunday Service, St Martin: Road closed 10am to 12pm. Buses 81, 93.

Monday 9 November

• Fort Road, St Peter Port: Fermain Lane Substation replacement phase 2. Until Mon 30 Nov. Buses 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, N3.
• Coin Colin, St Martin: Road resurfacing. Until Fri 20 Nov.
• Long Trac, St Martin: Road resurfacing. Until Tue 10 Nov.
• La Fosse de Bas, St Martin: Tree Surgery.
• Les Buttes, St Saviour: Tree surgery. Until Fri 13 Nov. Bus 71.
• Les Ruettes, St Andrew: Works to roadside driveway. Until Mon 16 Nov.
• Longree, Vale: New water services. Undertake in two halves, using traffic lights. Until Mon 16 Nov. Bus 13.
• Rue du Belial, St Saviour: Replace old water meter chambers. Until Thu 12 Nov.
• The Strand, St Peter Port: House Move.

Tuesday 10 November

• Lower Hauteville, St Peter Port: House move.

Wednesday 11 November

• Collings Road, St Peter Port: Supply line upgrade. Until Fri 13 Nov.
• Ville Amphrey, St Martin: Roads resurfacing. Until Fri 13 Nov.
• Les Echelons, St Peter Port: Gutter Cleaning.

Already closed, on bus routes

• Route de la Croix au Bailiff, St Andrew: Road patching. Until Fri 6 Nov. Buses 51, 52, 60, 61, P2.
• Guelles Road, St Peter Port: Closure due to over pumping stream. Until Fri 6 Nov. Buses 31, 51.
• Les Ozouets Road, St Peter Port: Foul manhole upgrade works. Until Mon 9 Nov. Buses 51, 52.
• Les Sauvagees, St Sampson: Route Militaire high and low voltage cabling connection. Until Fri 13 Nov. Buses 13, 21.
• Route Militaire, St Sampson: High voltage substation installation, high and low voltage cable upgrade and service…. Until Fri 18 Dec. Buses 13, 21.
• Route de la Hougue du Pommier, Castel: Install new 400mm water ring main pipework. Until Mon 21 Dec. Buses 41, 42, N2.
• Route de la Charruee, Vale: Upsize existing water main. Until Wed 23 Dec. Buses 41, 42, N2.

Source: States of Guernsey Traffic & Highways. Plans change; emergency closures can appear at short notice.

Planning decisions

25 planning decisions were issued between 26 October and 1 November: 22 granted and 3 refused. See every decision on our map.

Notable approvals

Garenne Stand & Playing Field, Footes Lane, St. Peter Port, GY1 2UL: Guernsey Rugby Club has been granted permission to erect two raised display screens and scoreboards at the Garenne Stand rugby pitch. The planning officer concluded that the scoreboards are proportionate to the recreational use and that their visual impact would be limited when viewed alongside existing perimeter fencing and advertisements. The approval includes an informative that any illuminated advertisements on the scoreboards will require separate planning permission to control light pollution. Applicant: Guernsey Rugby Club.

La Mare De Carteret School, Rue De Galaad, Castel, GY5 7FL: Guernsey Water has been granted permission to install an over-pumping chamber and associated works at La Mare De Carteret School playing fields, which sits within a Site of Special Significance. The planning officer concluded that with appropriate mitigation measures in place—including careful handling of excavated soil and turfs, limiting machinery movements, and post-works ecological monitoring—the works would not adversely affect the site's special environmental interest. Conditions were imposed requiring compliance with an ecological assessment and construction methodology, cleaning of all machinery before entering the site to prevent invasive species introduction, and access for States Archaeologists to observe excavations in an area of known archaeological importance. Applicant: Guernsey Water.

The Duke Hotel, Cambridge Park Road, St. Peter Port, GY1 1UY: The Duke Hotel has been granted permission to install three dining domes and a shed on its terrace for the Christmas period, continuing an arrangement that has been approved annually since 2019. Planning officers approved the temporary structures for use between 1st November 2026 and 1st January 2027, with operating hours restricted to 9am-10pm daily to prevent noise disturbance to nearby residential properties. The application was deemed acceptable for the St Peter Port Main Centre and Conservation Area location, with no significant impact on visual amenity or neighbours. Applicant: The Duke Hotel.

Longstore, Le Bouet, St. Peter Port, GY1 2BA: Pizza HQ Ltd has been granted permission to install two non-illuminated signs and vinyl window signage on the front elevation of the Longstore building for a Domino's pizza takeaway and Coop. The signs, including a 1.5m Domino's logo and a Coop logo with text, were approved as appropriately sized and positioned to balance the façade without harming the character of the Conservation Area. Officers concluded the signage achieves an acceptable standard of design and will not adversely affect neighbouring properties. Applicant: Pizza HQ Ltd.

More decisions on our map, mostly approvals for extensions and alterations.

Source: States of Guernsey Development & Planning Authority weekly register.

This week's audio briefing

The Weekly Briefing from The Quarry

0:00

/0

1×

Guernsey Gazette

St Pierre du Bois Parish is holding elections on November 4th, 2026 for four Douzeniers and two Constables.

Vale parish is hosting a Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial on November 8th, 2026.

St. Peter Port parish election will be held on November 4th, 2026 with three Constable candidates and eight Douzenier candidates.

Forest Parish will hold elections on November 4th, 2026 for Constable, Douzeniers, and Cemetery Committee members.

St Saviour parish will hold elections on November 4th, 2026 and vote on selling the rectory and garden.