The redevelopment of Guernsey market is well under way

The redevelopment of the site is well under way, but the Heritage Trust is worried the contractors may find the project is not profitable in future.

The Trust is concerned that if that should happen, there is no back-up in place to save the historic buildings.

But Brett Allen, of McAulay Developments - the company behind the scheme in St Peter Port - said there was no likelihood of them pulling out.

Heritage Trust chairman Roger Dadd said he hoped the project would continue successfully, but there needed to be a fallback plan.

This is a very complex building and gets more complex as we go through it Brett Allen, McAulay Developments

"The best thing which could happen to the market now is a successful development goes ahead as planned because that is the decision of the States and that's the intention.

"But we don't want it to fall over halfway through and we don't want a shopping mall with half of the shop fronts boarded up," he said.

"One has to have an eye for an alternative if the worst should come to pass."

But Mr Allen reassured islanders that projects like the Guernsey market buildings could take a long time to get right.

Close negotiation

He said his experience of similar town centre schemes showed they could take up to 11 years to come to fruition.

He said the main priority for St Peter Port was to develop the area in a considered way, in close conjunction with Heritage and the Island Development Committee.

"The whole process is one of negotiation and discussion," he said.

"It's not like putting a new building on a green field, where all you have got to do is work out the heights and right materials and get on with it.

"This is a very complex building and gets more complex as we go through it.