Parade Gardens under snow (courtesy of Jersey Evening Post)
“We also need to better appreciate and value town trees: there is much research
about the health benefits of a greener and leafier environment.
”
about specific plans and proposals as they emerge, but the workshop was a great start to our discussions and is underpinned by a sense of genuine enthusiasm and optimism for the future.
There is much to do, but there is also much that is already happening and we can draw on our own conversations and observations in Jersey, as well as research from elsewhere, to inform our decisions and actions to deliver Future St. Helier.
Not surprisingly, one of the key things that matters to people about where they live is housing costs and the size and type of housing that might be available. This is a critical challenge in Jersey, where housing availability and affordability is difficult for many islanders and where nearly a quarter of Jersey households are in housing stress (spending more than 30% of their gross income on accommodation). But we are, through collaborative working with the Housing Minister, taking steps to address this issue by implementing a new comprehensive Housing Strategy that will, for the first time, tackle housing issues across the private and social sectors. The regeneration of St. Helier can help contribute to the alleviation of the housing shortage in the Island by enabling the development of new homes here and, by adopting new space standards for residential development, we can ensure that urban homes offer quality and variety to meet people’s needs and which is affordable.
It is already encouraging to see the marketplace
responding to and providing a range of new urban living
spaces in St. Helier – through, for example, the conversion of former office buildings to
provide new apartments, such as that at the former RBC offices at 22 La Colomberie; the conversion of historic buildings to provide new homes, such as the redevelopment and conversion of the former Jersey College for Girls building in Rouge Bouillon by the Jersey Development Company; and the
development of new homes, by Dandara, at the former Westmount Quarry.
By encouraging a greater level of affordable residential development in the town, we need to ensure that we pay close attention to the social and environmental sustainability of our capital. We are fortunate in Jersey to benefit from a fantastic marine and rural environment and we need to ensure that town-dwellers can enjoy access to these resources. But the local provision of parks, play space, open space and trees in St. Helier is also critical to enhancing the quality of the urban living environment and for promoting the health and well-being of St. Helier’s residents, as well as for providing opportunities for civic and social interaction.
We can take some pride and comfort from the strides that we have already taken to improve
Parade Gardens aerial view (courtesy of Jersey Evening Post) St. Helier’s open spaces: from the
delivery of the Millennium Town Park; to the ‘conversion’ of car parks to public open spaces in Royal Square, Weighbridge and Liberation Square; along with the
‘reclamation’ of parts of St. Helier’s road network to create new pedestrian spaces in Broad Street and Charing Cross. These have all helped to make St. Helier a more pleasant place and a more social place, as well as providing new opportunities for civic life and events.
But we need to do more, and work is underway to assess the quantity and quality of open space provision in the town, with a view to developing an action plan to address any deficiencies. As part of this work, we want to talk to people about how they use and value the range of open spaces we have in St. Helier and to better understand what we might do to improve or supplement them.
We also need to better appreciate and value town trees: there is much research about the health benefits of a greener and leafier environment. But our ‘urban forest’ can also help the town respond to the challenges of climate change – by helping to absorb carbon, heat and rainwater. We, in government, are working in partnership with Jersey Trees for Life to survey our town trees so we can begin to assess the assets that we have and better understand the challenges and opportunities there may be for a greener, more resilient, St. Helier.
St. Helier is a small place but it can be a frustrating place to get around. For people who live and work in the town, and for those who visit, whether as shoppers or tourists, there is a need to make travelling into and around the town easier, more convenient and pleasant. We will need to plan for all modes of transport, always remaining conscious that
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