First Tower Park: protection from States’ development [P.92/2020]

STATES OF JERSEY

FIRST TOWER PARK: PROTECTION

FROM STATES' DEVELOPMENT

Lodged au Greffe on 13th July 2020 by the Connétable of St. Helier

STATES GREFFE

2020  P.92

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to request the Council of Ministers to remove First Tower Park, St. Helier, from its short list of potential sites for Jersey's new hospital

CONNÉTABLE OF ST. HELIER

REPORT

It is regrettable that the Government of Jersey does not appear to understand the value of public parks despite the many debates that have taken place in recent years and despite decisions by the States Assembly over the years not only to protect those parks which we have but also to add to the quality and quantity of public green space in the Island.

In putting forward a short list of potential sites for Jersey's new hospital that includes People's  Park,  the  Government  is  attempting  to  disregard  the  decision  of  the States Assembly  taken last  year  on 13th  February  (P.5/2019,  Amendment) which specifically rules this out. It may be argued that it is the process' that leads the Government to do this, but I would argue that this latest round of site selection in the expensive saga of Jersey's new hospital project has already failed, unless, of course, this is but a cynical ploy to divert public attention away from other sites on the list which have not already been ruled out by the legislature.

So much for People's Park, which cannot be left on the new hospital short list because the States has so decreed.

However,  tens  of  thousands  of  Islanders  will  react  with  consternation  to  the Government's latest decision to put First Tower Park, St. Helier, on their new short list of sites. Among those affected will be –

• people who live in the First Tower area,

• children who attend First Tower school,

• worshippers at St. Andrew's Church,

• people  who  value  Jersey's  rich  archaeological  heritage (the Ville es Nouaux Neolithic dolmen),

• people whose loved ones are remembered by the many memorial trees planted around the park,

• people who use First Tower Park for their daily exercise and recreation.

As with the reappearance of People's Park on the new hospital short list, the inclusion of this public park may be designed to whip up a storm of public protest that will make people who object to the other sites on the short list struggle to get their voices of objection heard. An alternative reading of the situation is that the  decision  to  consider  First  Tower  Park  ripe  for  development  shows  a breath-taking lack of understanding of the importance of public green space in urban communities.

I am not going to rehearse here the arguments which are set out in the Island Plan on why public parks matter, or the principles to which the Government ought to subscribe as it has signed up to them, for I do not believe that there is a realistic prospect  of  Jersey's  new  hospital  being  constructed  on  the  site  of First Tower Park; however, I attach as an Appendix to this Proposition my comments  on  the  value  of  People's  Park  which  are  relevant  here (P.5/2109 Amd), while the Hansard report of the debate is also worth reading.

It should go without saying that the Parish of St. Helier has not been consulted about this matter.

I ask that the States Assembly reaffirms its commitment to protecting the Island's public parks by requesting the Council of Ministers to remove First Tower Park, St. Helier , from its short list of potential sites for Jersey's new hospital.

Financial and manpower implications

There are none, other than the likelihood of saving any further costs involved in an abortive site investigation process as far as this public park is concerned.

APPENDIX

Extract from the Report of the Planning Inspector High level assessment of the alternative sites

370. The final alternative I considered was Peoples Park. I am well aware that this site option is locally controversial. I am also aware that, whilst scoring well as an option in earlier assessment work, it was withdrawn from consideration by the then Health Minister, in the light of public opposition. In pure Planning terms, the location is sustainable, accessible and very close to the existing hospital. The key Planning issues would centre around the complete loss of an existing open space, which is also a Grade 3 Listed space. A case could be made that the public benefit of the new hospital justified these losses and the existing hospital site could, in part, provide compensatory new park provision. Its development for a new hospital would significantly change the townscape in this part of St. Helier , although the West Mount escarpment would mitigate some of the effects and impacts of large buildings on this site. There would be some adverse impacts on residential amenities, views and vistas and the settings of Listed buildings. This option, along with all the others, raises Island Plan tensions and challenges.