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Progress on the Leale's Yard development should mean there can also be progress on improving flood defences at the Bridge with the Environment and Infrastructure Committee saying the two projects are linked.
At last week's Scrutiny hearing, the panel - made up of Deputies Lindsey de Sausmarez and Adrian Gabriel and civil servants Damon Hackley and Claire Barrett - said that a lack of progress at Leale's Yard had previously been the biggest obstacle to work protecting the Bridge and surrounding areas from rising sea levels.
"That was the main obstruction, so we could not do anything that might compromise that very significant development or vice versa," said Deputy de Sausmarez.
"...then, of course, there was the future Harbour requirements in this political term and again, a big question mark over the future Harbour requirements.Had there been a definitive decision on future harbour requirements that might have involved a breakwater further out of the harbour mouth at St Sampson's. It's quite possible that flood defence might have been incorporated into that. However, because housing is such a priority and we know that any decision on future harbours is some way off and now that we seem to have more certainty with Leale's Yard, we are progressing a flood defence plan which will provide adequate protection to give assurance to any developers who want to develop in that area."
Pictured: Mr Hackley, Deputy de Sausmarez, Deputy Gabriel, and Ms Barrett.
Deputy de Sausamarez said any flood defences will be an "interim solution" but one which would last for maybe 50 years.
Ms Barrett - the Director of the Infrastructure and Environment - said that solution will effectively be a new barrier built, inland from the harbour mouth. But she added that more work needs to be done on the plans.
"...a lot of work had been done previously on this in progressing the detailed design before it got paused effectively because of other States projects. So it is more a case of picking up where it was previously. There needs to be an update of that detailed design because we now know through the planning application the outline planning application for Leale's Yard, where the accesses to Leale's Yard will go, which had not been factored in previously.
"It is basically the same design as before. We're not starting from scratch, but it is updating the details on that and implementation," she said.
P&R has been asked to de-couple the funding for the flood defences from the Leale's Yard project.
"There is more work needed than there are funds available ...
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