Select a region
There has been mixed reaction to the Development & Planning Authority's regeneration vision for three areas of Town which was published yesterday.
The Authority's Development Framework imagines more open public spaces, underground traffic, more residential areas and greater emphasis on encouraging pedestrians and active travel.
The Development Framework focuses on three ‘regeneration areas’ of St Peter Port:
Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, said that "on the whole, it's a really welcome Framework". Her Committee's responsibilities include transport, the public realm and general housing, all of which are critical to the D&PA's Town vision.
“It’s essentially a Framework that encourages the kind of regeneration that I think a lot of people will really welcome," said Deputy de Sausmarez.
"The objective is to encourage more diversification in these key areas of Town to create a more economically and socially vibrant centre, ideally in a way that is environmentally positive as well. There's lots of support in this Framework for things to be done in an environmentally positive way."
Pictured: Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez is supportive of plans in the D&PA's Development Framework to improve the public realm and enhance the experience for pedestrians in Town.
Deputy de Sausmarez generally agrees with the way the Development Framework tries to balance competing uses and needs of Town.
"There’s a strong focus threaded through the Framework on improving the mix and balance of different uses – for example converting more buildings into housing – and also on improving access within Town. Transport obviously has a key role to play in that," she said.
"Personally, I’m pleased to see the emphasis in this Development Framework on creating more high-quality areas of public realm in which people will want to spend time, relaxing or socialising.
"There’s a clear opportunity to incorporate nature into these spaces as well, access to which is particularly important for people living in urban areas like St. Peter Port."
St Peter Port Constable Zoe Lihou also welcomed the Development Framework but highlighted the challenges of turning visions in documents into actions.
“I think that continuing to have the conversation keeps it out there in people’s minds – but it would be nice to see some action,” said Mrs Lihou.
“I think the worrying thing is an emphasis on private investing. That is a concern. We [government] don’t have money down the back of the sofa to invest in these wonderful ideas."
Mrs Lihou said that parish officials were "looking forward to working more closely" with Deputy Victoria Oliver, the President of the Development & Planning Authority, and her members on taking the Development Framework forward.
Pictured: Zoe Lihou said that St Peter Port Parish would be pleased to work with the Development & Planning Authority and others on turning ideas in the Development Framework into actions.
The Chairman of the Guernsey Retail Group, Jonathan Creasey, was more sceptical about what impact the newly-published vision would have on the physical development and life of Town.
“I’m pretty supportive of the ideas but the simple fact is that none of the ideas are particularly new and some of them are decades old," said Mr Creasey, who is also a Director of one of the island's leading retailers, Creasey's, which has made significant investments in various Town premises over many years.
"We can keep writing about them and regurgitating them but it’s time that we got on and planned and did some of it."
Much of the Development Framework suggests that the new vision for Town could be driven by private sector investment. Mr Creasey was sceptical that would happen.
“I struggle to see why private enterprise is going to start planting trees and benches down at the taxi rank," he said. "Without a revenue stream they’re not going to do it."
Mr Creasey thinks that turning the ideas into action would require "us to form a board or a group that are in power to take ownership and deliver on some of these concepts".
"I think we need to be working on some deliverable and actionable plans.”
He criticised the States for making poor decisions in the past.
“Take for example the Mignot Plateau. It [the Development Framework] talks about public realms. Twenty years ago there was a great plan to put a Victor Hugo Centre in that very location, using that lovely building, but the States in their wisdom decided to make it into a storage facility [the Island Archives at St. Barnabas]. That was absolutely bonkers.
“This building is prime and in a fantastic location. It could be a fantastic exhibition space for something beyond Victor Hugo but we turned it into archive storage."
Pictured: The Development Framework published by the D&PA yesterday focuses on developing three key gateways into the Town centre.
Deputy David De Lisle, who has also invested in the retail future of Town, was critical of the Development Framework. He said it was “all words, no actions".
“How is government encouraging an increase in Town centre living to boost the population of St Peter Port and increase activity? It’s not," he said. "It’s doing quite the opposite and still encouraging decentralisation of housing and activity away from Town.
"Where are the government incentives to stop the drift of retail and offices out of Town?
“Where is the infrastructure development and streetscape improvements? The High Street and Pollet are in an appalling state.
“And what about increasing parking to make the Town centre more attractive for those who live in Town and work in offices or retail businesses in Town and shoppers who continually complain about the lack of parking. The thrust is to remove parking."
Pictured: Deputy David De Lisle is a critic of much States' policy in relation to the Town centre and doubts that the D&PA's Development Framework will lead to improvements for people living, working or shopping in Town or visitors.
Deputy Oliver said she acknowledged the role of the States in putting development ideas into action.
“We haven’t finalized everything but that is what I foresee,” said Deputy Oliver.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.