:00:11. > :00:21.Coming up tonight. A cyclist has died after a crash in Jersey this
:00:21. > :00:21.
:00:21. > :00:27.afternoon. Is Guernsey's States willing to pay for the plane to keep
:00:27. > :00:32.the local link to London? intentional will be that any new
:00:32. > :00:42.aircraft will be in place by June next year. And Durrell gets ready to
:00:42. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:49.welcome a cuddly new couple to Jersey this afternoon. The police
:00:49. > :00:59.say the man in his 40s was treated by paramedics soon after the
:00:59. > :01:02.
:01:02. > :01:06.collision between his bike and a transit van. He died at the scene.
:01:06. > :01:09.Distressing scenes on St Helier's streets this lunchtime. Marks the
:01:10. > :01:12.road where a cyclist in his forties collided with a Ford transit van
:01:12. > :01:18.with tragic consequences. Emergency services were called to the the
:01:18. > :01:21.bottom of Mount Bingham at around a 1:15. The man was treated by
:01:21. > :01:24.paramedics at the scene, but was pronounced dead a short time after
:01:24. > :01:27.they arrived. Traffic quickly built up around the old La Folie pub,
:01:27. > :01:35.causing hours of delays to motorists and public transport - with
:01:35. > :01:38.tailbacks reported as far as Beaumont in St Peter. Tonight the
:01:38. > :01:47.driver of the van is being treated as police call it a significant
:01:47. > :01:51.witness. Specially trained officers are now with the victims family.
:01:51. > :01:56.It could cost tens of millions of pounds for Aurigny to get the planes
:01:56. > :02:00.it needs to increase capacity on the Gatwick route. It's looking to fill
:02:00. > :02:03.the gap left when Flybe pulls out next year. And a decision today will
:02:03. > :02:11.see Guernsey States act as a guarantee for any money the airline
:02:11. > :02:16.needs to borrow to do that. Flybe flights from Gatwick will be
:02:16. > :02:21.stopping soon. The last one expected next March, meaning around 700 fewer
:02:21. > :02:26.seats on that route each day. And to fill that gap Aurginy has two
:02:26. > :02:31.options - buy a bigger jet, or use smaller planes that fly more often.
:02:31. > :02:35.But either option would mean investment is needed. And the States
:02:35. > :02:42.today agreed to help Aurigny get the money it needs, either by
:02:42. > :02:45.guaranteeing a loan. It provides the airline with the flexibility to
:02:45. > :02:50.determine the right solutions to be able to replace the capacity on the
:02:50. > :02:56.Gatwick route if Flybe withdrawal. The intention will be that any new
:02:56. > :03:01.aircraft will be in place by June next year. That capacity will be
:03:01. > :03:05.filled by leased aircraft if Apull-out.
:03:05. > :03:09.But how much money are we talking to ensure the links to this airport
:03:09. > :03:12.continue? The plans still have to be finalised. But in Gatwick today for
:03:12. > :03:15.meetings, the boss of the airline was able to give a ball park figure.
:03:15. > :03:21.It depends on whether the decision will be get to the used aircraft or
:03:21. > :03:25.new aircraft. If the latter, it will be in the region of $35 million. But
:03:25. > :03:27.we are not have the cash, we are after support. Purely a bank
:03:27. > :03:32.guarantee. Aurigny will still have to make a
:03:32. > :03:36.business case to the Treasury. And whilst the price tag may be high -
:03:36. > :03:41.many feel the cost to the Island if it doesn't keep up it's links to
:03:41. > :03:44.Gatwick could be higher. First-time buyers in Jersey are set
:03:44. > :03:47.to get more help from the Government, as they attempt to build
:03:47. > :03:52.more affordable homes. Revisions are being made to the Island Plan -
:03:52. > :03:56.which is a guide to where and where not to build in Jersey - in a bid to
:03:56. > :04:04.get islanders on the property ladder. But under these new plans,
:04:04. > :04:06.only 20% will be sold - with the other 80% up for rent. And as Pam
:04:06. > :04:10.Caulfield reports, they're already facing opposition.
:04:10. > :04:13.This is just one of the sites that could be transformed into affordable
:04:13. > :04:18.new homes. If given approval by the Islands government rezoning parcels
:04:19. > :04:23.of land could get more of us on the property ladder. A lot of people are
:04:23. > :04:28.complaining that the island is expensive, especially if you want to
:04:28. > :04:31.purchase property. It is all well renting but if your rent is upmarket
:04:31. > :04:35.levels and you are being squeezed, it does not give you an opportunity
:04:35. > :04:39.to put your own roof over your head and become financially independent.
:04:39. > :04:44.This land has been earmarked for development. A fifth of the homes
:04:44. > :04:48.will be for first-time buyers and the same split of 80/20. Something
:04:49. > :04:54.that is divided is opinion. Especially here in St Clement -
:04:54. > :04:58.where up to 200 homes could be built. We have been here 64 years
:04:58. > :05:03.and when my father-in-law bought the fields in 1924, there was a bold
:05:03. > :05:09.running all the way down the avenue here. -- there was a marshland. So
:05:09. > :05:13.it might not be a good idea to put houses of that. I have lived here
:05:13. > :05:19.for 52 years and therefore the corner means a lot to me. And people
:05:19. > :05:23.have to live somewhere and this is really terrible. I think that
:05:23. > :05:25.although a lot would object to it, they would be pleased to see
:05:25. > :05:28.something better than what we have got.
:05:28. > :05:31.If residents are strongly opposed, their constable says he'll fight the
:05:31. > :05:35.plans But it seems there is a determination to push these forward
:05:35. > :05:39.- even if developers are against selling at below market prices A
:05:39. > :05:41.decision on the plans is a long way off - but the public are being
:05:42. > :05:43.re-assured they will get their say. We have seen flooding with people's
:05:43. > :05:46.houses being flooded regularly. But the infrastructure is already
:05:46. > :05:49.collapsing. We know the traffic and infrastructure will not be able to
:05:49. > :05:52.take it. And it is in the green zone. And the Green zone is there to
:05:52. > :05:57.protect the land. And the States should not overturn designation
:05:57. > :06:04.easily. But it seems there is determination to push things
:06:04. > :06:07.forward. The proposition here is that the States will be asked to
:06:07. > :06:12.acquire those sides by compulsory purchase to ensure they are
:06:12. > :06:17.developed at those figures so it is exhibited in change. White by a
:06:17. > :06:22.decision on the plans is a long way off but the public are being
:06:22. > :06:28.reassured they will get their say. Lots of thoughts from you on this
:06:28. > :06:38.one. Alison on Facebook says, "Re-zoning green fields is a bad
:06:38. > :06:38.
:06:38. > :06:41.idea, there will come a day when we need to feed this Island." Maureen
:06:41. > :06:47.Norris says, "It's population control we need as a first
:06:47. > :06:50.priority". And this one from Phill, "No. Thanks for those and do join
:06:50. > :06:53.the conversation on our Facebook page - just search for BBC CI News.
:06:53. > :07:02.Meanwhile, owners of empty properties in Guernsey could soon be
:07:02. > :07:05.Department is considering increasing taxes for landlords of houses that
:07:05. > :07:08.have been left derelict and unoccupied for years.
:07:08. > :07:11.Houses that aren't homes. Up to 400 domestic properties lie empty around
:07:11. > :07:14.the parishes of Guernsey, some uninhabited for decades. Demand for
:07:14. > :07:23.housing is high and the the Environment Department is perplexed
:07:23. > :07:31.as to why so many are left to rack and ruin. I don't understand it.
:07:31. > :07:34.Personally, there are two companies by my house that have been there for
:07:34. > :07:39.about ten years and they are becoming derelict and I do not know
:07:39. > :07:43.why people at least let them to the rental market so getting people who
:07:43. > :07:47.are desperate for accommodation and they can use it. Soon as they
:07:47. > :07:53.privately property is empty and the owner goes travelling for a few
:07:53. > :08:00.years, what right does the States have to intervene? The Treasury and
:08:00. > :08:03.resources department is not going to start any land grabbing policy but
:08:03. > :08:13.it is considering using taxation to persuade owners to do something with
:08:13. > :08:15.
:08:15. > :08:22.the buildings. Maybe in respect of obtaining a planning consent, I
:08:22. > :08:28.think that they could be a possibility of having some sort of
:08:28. > :08:31.penalty, some higher rate of tax on the property in those circumstances.
:08:31. > :08:34.The Government has a target of supplying between three and four
:08:34. > :08:43.hundred new dwellings every year, so perhaps the States will soon see
:08:43. > :08:47.BBC News understands the union which represents bus drivers in Jersey has
:08:47. > :08:50.set a date for a strike on the 20th of August, following a meeting last
:08:50. > :08:54.night. Drivers voted for action over shift patterns and the sacking of
:08:54. > :08:58.two of their colleagues. The Unite Union, the Transport Minister and
:08:58. > :09:01.the bus company are refusing to comment.
:09:01. > :09:07.New measures are being brought in to try and get more single parents in
:09:07. > :09:09.Guernsey back into work. Up until now individuals could claim
:09:09. > :09:15.benefits, without having to actively seek work, until their youngest
:09:16. > :09:21.child was 12 years old. That's being reduced to seven. It'll mean around
:09:21. > :09:25.100 more people are classed as unemployed. People look at a sudden
:09:25. > :09:27.rise and they think people will be thrown out of work but actually
:09:27. > :09:33.their situation will not have changed other than the fact that we
:09:33. > :09:37.will be taking steps to help them and get all sorts of support for
:09:37. > :09:44.them to get into work. You're watching the BBC in Channel
:09:44. > :09:49.Islands, later an in Spotlight, a new swimming world champion, the
:09:49. > :09:52.Lithuanian tells the BBC about her success.
:09:52. > :09:55.Staff and volunteers at Durrell in Jersey have been working hard
:09:55. > :09:58.revamping an enclosure for a new arrival. The conservation trust lost
:09:58. > :10:06.their bear couple Barbara and Wolfgang earlier this year - but now
:10:06. > :10:11.a young female Andean bear is moving to Jersey - and she won't be alone.
:10:11. > :10:17.Meet Bahia, Durrell's next lodger. The two-year-old female Andean bear
:10:17. > :10:21.will be joining the wildlife trust next month from Germany. She's
:10:21. > :10:24.moving into the enclosure which has been left empty from the loss of
:10:24. > :10:31.lovable couple Wolfgang and Barbara but I'm afraid you won't be able to
:10:31. > :10:34.see her straightaway. She has to go through a quarantine facility
:10:34. > :10:38.because she is coming from a European institution so when she
:10:38. > :10:41.arrives here, she will not be on show for a number of weeks because
:10:41. > :10:45.she will be on side with one keeper caring for her the whole time in a
:10:45. > :10:48.quarantine area will stop once outside the quarantine, she will be
:10:48. > :10:51.out on show. And that's when she'll be able to
:10:51. > :11:01.explore her new surroundings which has been revamped by staff and
:11:01. > :11:04.
:11:04. > :11:13.Not only have they freshened it up but they've had to adapt the
:11:13. > :11:17.enclosure for the new arrival. build the enclosure in 1997 for old
:11:17. > :11:22.bears so a lot of it had started to rot. We seized the opportunity and
:11:22. > :11:26.work together as a team and sourced all the material through local tree
:11:26. > :11:32.surgeons and we have done here is create a playground for much younger
:11:32. > :11:34.bears and hopefully Cubs. Yes, she won't be alone for long. A
:11:34. > :11:44.two-year-old male partner will be joining Bahia in November and
:11:44. > :11:44.
:11:44. > :11:48.there's high hopes they'll soon have a family of their very own. C a
:11:48. > :11:58.young couple moving into a new home. And let's hope we see some more
:11:58. > :12:00.
:12:00. > :12:04.earlier today but things are changing for tomorrow. Some mist and
:12:04. > :12:08.fog patches around at first but beyond that, a fine day with plenty
:12:08. > :12:13.of sunshine around. Warmer than we have seen over the past few days and
:12:13. > :12:17.feeling rather humid. Taking a look at the synoptic situation, we can
:12:17. > :12:21.see this warm front moving up through the UK through today which
:12:22. > :12:25.brought lots of cloud and drizzle earlier through today. That is
:12:25. > :12:29.clearing but leaving it fine overnight and into tomorrow. By
:12:29. > :12:33.Friday, we see the next front arriving, the cold front will pass
:12:33. > :12:37.through which could bring some showers and more in the way of cloud
:12:37. > :12:43.again. Certainly making it feel fresher. For the remainder of this
:12:43. > :12:48.evening and overnight, it should see a bit of cloud but then we will see
:12:48. > :12:53.the mist and fog patches forming over the hills and around the coast
:12:53. > :12:57.by dawn. A mild night, temperatures not dipping below 18 Celsius so
:12:57. > :13:03.quite humid and sticky. Perhaps quite difficult to sleep. Tomorrow,
:13:03. > :13:08.we will see the mist and fog patches burning off with a fine day
:13:08. > :13:13.tomorrow. Windsor swinging round to the west later in the day and
:13:13. > :13:20.temperature wise, we could see 2829 Celsius for Jersey and 22 for the
:13:20. > :13:28.other islands. A warm, rather humid feeling day to come. -- we could see
:13:28. > :13:38.28 - 29 Celsius for Jersey. Fog patches at first and then moderate
:13:38. > :13:47.
:13:47. > :13:51.visibility. Times of high water up two feet in the swell in the North
:13:51. > :14:01.and East but it is telling fresher and sunshine with a few showers and
:14:01. > :14:03.
:14:03. > :14:06.And a reminder of tonight's top story. A 40-year-old cyclist has
:14:06. > :14:09.died after he collided with a Transit van at Mount Bingham in