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WQ.214/2022
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BY DEPUTY L.V. FELTHAM OF ST. HELIER CENTRAL
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 17th OCTOBER 2022 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 24th OCTOBER 2022
Question
“Will the Minister explain –
- what work, if any, is being undertaken to ensure that St. Helier residents have access to infrastructure that will meet the needs of the growing population in Town given the planned housing developments in central St. Helier and surrounding areas;
- what assessments, if any, are being undertaken in respect of the parking available for new residents in St Helier; and
- what work is being undertaken to ensure that children living in St. Helier in homes without a parking space will not be disadvantaged compared to children living in homes with access to parking spaces?”
Answer
- Extensive work was undertaken as part of the preparation of the bridging Island Plan to examine the island’s infrastructure requirements, including those required to meet the needs of a growing Town population: this is set out in the Infrastructure Capacity Study Report 2020.
This work sought to inform the bridging Island Plan’s near-term response to infrastructure requirements, where they had land-use planning implications.
The plan also recognises, however, that further work is required to be undertaken to develop a long-term infrastructure roadmap for Jersey: this is reflected in a strategic proposal set out in the plan (Strategic Proposal 5). The roadmap will build on the Infrastructure Capacity Study to inform short- and long-term strategic policymaking and help to understand the costs and consequences for the environment, economy and wider society of key future infrastructure choices.
- The bridging Island Plan requires, under the auspices of Policy TT4: provision of off-street parking, that development that has the potential to generate vehicular movements and a requirement for car and other forms of parking will be supported only where it provides an appropriate level of accessible, secure and convenient off-street motor vehicle parking.
In order to make walking and cycling more attractive, especially for travelling to school and commuting, Policy TT2 of the bridging Island Plan requires that development proposals must demonstrate that provision for walking and cycling has been prioritised in the design of proposals and will be supported where it provides accessible, secure and convenient on-site cycle parking.
The Minister for the Environment is currently reviewing the planning guidance that sets parking standards for different parts of the island, including the Town of St Helier. These revised standards will be the subject of consultation before adoption.
The development of a Parking Plan is one of the rapid plans to be delivered as part of the Sustainable Transport Policy. Part of this workstream includes the development of a parking provision model of supply and demand for parking in St Helier. This will provide a model to help show how different demand and supply levels based on policy decisions and future developments would affect parking provision within the town.
- The answer, set out at (b), describes the work being undertaken to address the provision of parking space in St Helier, both in relation to new development and wider public parking provision.
I am not aware of any work being undertaken to examine any correlation between the life chances of children living in homes with access to parking spaces relative to those living in homes without.
What is clear is that 81% of children and young people in Jersey do not meet the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for physical activity[1]; and that the proportion of children categorised as overweight and obese in Jersey is 25% in Year R; and 31% in Year 6[2].
As set out in the Sustainable Transport Policy, being physically active reduces the risk of many preventable diseases and benefits our mental health and wellbeing. Those children who walk or cycle to school in Jersey are much more likely to achieve recommended physical activity guidelines.