Introduction
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The Falkland Islands Government is holding a public consultation following a private application received by Executive Council (ExCo Papers
136/25 and
200/24 ) to build a café on part of Stanley Common, in the Yorke Bay area. The proposal includes:
- An off-grid café building with indoor seating,
- An outdoor seating area overlooking Yorke Bay,
- Takeaway hatch facility,
- Toilets for customers, and
- Associated services such as parking and bins.
The potential location is 3 miles east of Stanley in the area of Gypsy Cove/Yorke Bay, opposite a recently built carpark near the western end of Yorke Bay beach. The area is currently used for tourism, recreation, dog walking, horse grazing, and as additional parking to the new carpark.
The applicants have requested a long-term lease or lease/purchase of approximately 1,000m² of Stanley Common land for the development. This means:
- The land would no longer remain as open green space for public use.
- It would become a commercial facility, changing how people currently use and experience this part of the Stanley Common.
The
Stanley Common Ordinance 1999 generally prohibits development on Stanley Common, and the long-term lease or sale of Common land. In order to build the café, the Stanley Common Ordinance 1999 would need to be changed. Therefore, the decision whether the café is approved rests with the Legislative Assembly. There are different options for the way in which the law could be changed to enable the proposed café.
Stanley Common and Cape Pembroke Peninsula is also a nature reserve under the
Conservation of Wildlife and Nature Ordinance 1999. This does not prevent the lease or sale of the relevant land and it would remain a nature reserve under the Ordinance regardless of any decision to lease or sell it.
Before an option is chosen or a final decision is made, Executive Council has requested a public consultation to understand the public’s views on the potential development in the area, and the resulting loss of Common land.
The purpose of this consultation is not only to assess the merits of having a café in the area, but also to gather views on the implications of losing part of Stanley Common – public land – for the potential development.
This consultation does not concern the question of whether or not planning permission should be granted for the café – that is a separate matter to be considered under the Planning Ordinance 1991.