North of Town Masterplan (Revised) (P.103/2010): fifth amendment

STATES OF JERSEY

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NORTH OF TOWN MASTERPLAN (REVISED) (P.103/2010):

FIFTH AMENDMENT

Lodged au Greffe on 4th November 2010 by the Deputy of St. Mary

STATES GREFFE

2010   Price code: A  P.103 Amd.(5)

NORTH OF TOWN MASTERPLAN (REVISED) (P.103/2010): FIFTH AMENDMENT

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After the words "an agreed development framework" insert the words –

", except that the underground parking provision for 400 vehicles at Ann Court called for in the Masterplan be subject to all States policies relating to planning and transport as may be agreed from time to time in relation to urban regeneration and improvement".

DEPUTY OF ST. MARY

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P.103/2010 Amd.(5)

REPORT

If the Sustainable Transport Policy is successful it will save around 1,320 car-parking spaces currently taken up by commuters. All that land can be developed for much- needed housing or green space.

There are huge benefits in reducing traffic in the town. These include less congestion, less noise and pollution, and less greenhouse gas emissions, as well as fewer accidents and a safer and more stress-free street environment.

The advantages of not building underground shopping spaces at Ann Court, keeping Minden Place until it falls down, and using that time to adopt a new approach for shoppers would be to –

1. save a lot of money in car park provision;
2. provide a better service to shoppers;
3. reap the many benefits of traffic reduction throughout our town centre;
4. create a society with lower transport costs and less dependent on fossil fuels;
5. use the space given over to storing motor vehicles for other things as we see suggested throughout the Masterplan – green space and residential.

It  is  therefore  unwise  to  lock  ourselves  into  fixed  figures  on  car-parking  in  a Masterplan such as this without reference to the overarching policies and proposals to be contained in the Island Plan, which we are due to debate early next year.

This is particularly so when you consider that we are constantly being told that these are times of extreme financial stringency. And yet we are seemingly pressing ahead, in this  Plan,  with  the  most  expensive  form  of  parking  provision  possible,  namely underground car parking.

Underground car parking is also the most inflexible. It cannot be changed to meet changing patterns of behaviour and changing circumstances. You are betting on the future being an unchanging future. This seems to be self-evidently an unwise thing to do.

Financial and manpower statement

This amendment is one of overall policy, and therefore it is difficult to quantify exact savings or costs. But clearly the thrust is to see if underground car-parking on the scale envisaged fits in with other policies yet to be finally decided by the Assembly, and whether it is actually the most cost-effective solution. So this amendment is likely to be the opportunity for substantial cost savings.

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P.103/2010 Amd.(5)