RESIDENTS of an island where cars are banned have complained that the local government is planning to change the rules.
People living on Sark, a tiny piece of land off the French coast, use horses to get around day to day, which they say keeps the charming rural nation “special”.
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None of the 562 locals are allowed to drive a motor on the roads – though who needs to when the whole place is only around two square miles of countryside?
As one of the Channel Islands, Sark is in the British Isles but not the United Kingdom and is a Crown Dependency like Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
And like those nations it has its own laws, parliament and government, bringing their own tensions and troubles with them.
Indeed, it was only in 2019 that e-bikes were allowed on the island after a controversial law change.
However, a new dispute has arisen over the rules governing tractors.
It’s a slippery slope – at what point do you say no?
Being an almost entirely rural setting, there is an exemption to the car ban for agricultural vehicles, allowing local farmers to work the land.
The only restriction is that tractors may not be used on Sundays as it is still enshrined in law as a “day of rest”.
That may soon change, though, as the Douzaine (a sort of parish council) which is responsible for local roads is considering doing away with the old-school rule.
The proposal has met with fierce criticism, including by local farmers.
Jason Salisbury, from Sark Dairy, said he was happy to keep Sunday free of work.
He went on: “If you can’t organise yourself not to try during a particular time, then you need to sort it out.”
Likewise, Peter Plummer, dubbed the ‘King of Sark’ by his countrymen, said: “If the rule is changed, I think people will take it for granted.”
Peter drives a tractor-bus service and has special permission to use his vehicle seven days of the week, but felt that such exemptions should be kept as a rare occurrence.
He added: “It’s a slippery slope – at what point do you say no?”
Times really do need to change.
However, not everyone on the island is opposed to the move.
Bernadette Southern, who works as a chef at Fleur du Jardin, said: “It’s totally different to what it was years ago, when Sunday was a relaxing day.
“The boats change through the winter, so there aren’t the same number of tourists.
“Everybody needs to make their money through the summertime.
“Times really do need to change.
“I think everything else is changing so this needs to change too.”
Conseiller Chris Bateseon, chair of the Douzaine, who submitted the proposal added: “There has been a gradual shift from the notion of ‘keeping Sunday special’ to it becoming ‘just another working day.”
A decision will be taken by the Chief Pleas, which makes laws on the island, on July 3.
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