Fields 190 and 192, Rue de la Sergente, St. Brelade: petition

STATES OF JERSEY

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FIELDS 190 AND 192, RUE DE LA SERGENTE, ST. BRELADE: PETITION

Lodged au Greffe on 13th June 2006 by Deputy S. Power of St. Brelade

STATES GREFFE

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to re q uest the Minister for Planning and Environment to refuse to grant permission for the development of

Fields 190 and 192, Rue de la Sergente, St.  Brelade, a green field site, at the density and level of development currently proposed.

DEPUTY S. POWER OF ST. BRELADE

REPORT

The result of the proposition, if approved, would be to request the Minister for Planning and Environment to use his discretion, to ensure that a density and level of development be only allowed on this site that is in keeping with those single-storey dwellings situate along the Northern perimeter of the site and accessed by Le Clos Touris. A site location map is included in Appendix  1. A photograph of the field facing southwest and towards Rue de la Sergente is included in Appendix  4.

St.  Brelade is the Island's third most populous Parish with about 11,000 residents. About one in eight residents of the Island live here. It has the fourth highest population density on the Island, after St. Helier, St.  Clement and St.  Saviour.

St.  Brelade also suffers from high volumes of traffic and the roads of the Parish have seen large increases in traffic over recent years. This is very apparent on Route Orange, Routes des Genets, La  Route de la Haule and Routes des Quennevais.

Parishioners  of  St.  Brelade,  have,  for  the  most  part,  to  endure  the  traffic  problems  surrounding  Beaumont roundabout and the congestion in this area is well documented.

Population Percent Area Population Density Parish 2001 Census of total (km.2) (persons per km.2)

The problem of over-development is further highlighted by another table –

PLANNING APPROVALS, PENDING APPLICATIONS AND COMPLETION OF DWELLINGS SINCE 1 JANUARY 2005

Dwellings subject of

Dwellings granted current Planning Dwellings Planning Permission Applications Completed

GROUVILLE 99 46 33 ST. BRELADE 113 124 81 ST. CLEMENT 69 97 115 ST. HELIER 464 221 574 ST. JOHN 37 28 21 ST. LAWRENCE 58 162 97 ST. MARTIN 16 65 30 ST. MARY 12 7 24 ST. OUEN 66 17 65 ST. PETER 103 13 24 ST. SAVIOUR 97 62 22 TRINITY 22 3 20

TOTAL 1,156 845 1,106

Members will see that St.  Brelade has the second highest figure of Dwellingsgranted Planning Permission since 1st January 2005. It has the third highest rate of Dwellings subject to current Planning Applications since 1st January 2005. It has the fourth highest rate of Dwellings completed since 1st January 2005.

This means that the Parish of St.  Brelade has an accelerating amount of Planning activity and Planning approval. This will add to the congestion in the Parish.

Members  in  many  Parishes  have  expressed  an  increasing  amount  of  concern  at  the  density  of  residential development taking place and St. Brelade is not exception to other parts of the Island. The Island has many examples  in  other  Parishes  of  the  inappropriate  design,  density  and  height  of  some  recent  residential developments.

In St.  Brelade, parishioners living adjacent to La Rue De Sergente, Le Clos Touris, Le Clos Orange, Le Feugerel, La Petite Commune and Le Mont De La Pulente have watched with a degree of apprehension the emerging residential development on the former Leonard's Garage site. This development of timber-framed houses rapidly advanced from foundation and footing stage to roof level in less than 8  weeks. At this stage, it became very clear to all residents of the area that the design height, density and layout of development on this site are very inappropriate to adjoining developments.

In particular, a row of 2-storey houses in Le Clos Orange closest to the Leonard's Garage development, whose foundations are 5 feet higher on average that the foundations in the Leonard's Garage site development, are now facing new dwellings that are higher in overall height that any home in Le Clos Orange. Residents on all existing developments adjacent to this site have felt so strongly that they organized an action group and raised a petition to request the Minister for Planning and the Environment to take heed of their concerns and to establish a lower density of development for this site. In addition, correspondence from this action group is included in Appendices 2 and 3.

It is because of this petition, that I am presenting this proposition to oppose a similar level of density on Fields 190/192 that currently exists on the former Leonard's Garage site.

Residents in the area accept that some residential development will take place on this site. They accept that under the terms of the changes incorporated in the Island Plan 2002, that this is a H1/H2 site. They are reasonable people. They are, however, understandably upset at what has been permitted on the former Leonard's Garage site.

Over-development, mediocre design, small amenity spaces, small unit sizes of 3 storeys with disproportionate circulation areas are a growing contribution to existing social problems and anti-social behaviour. St.  Brelade is suffering  from  an  element  of  this  type  of  anti-social  behaviour,  some  of  it  Parish-based.  Parishioners  of St.  Brelade have made it clear that they do not wish to see any further high density developments of this type.

It is too late for many parts of those other Parishes that have been blighted by over-development and poor design in recent years.

The Minister should use his discretionary powers and his authority as the Environment and Planning Minister to follow a new path and to begin the long remedial process of putting residential dwelling design on Jersey at the highest level of design excellence that can be achieved.

If Members support this proposition on Fields 190/192, La Moye, they will be sending a clear message from all over the Island that enough is enough.

There are no manpower implications arising from this proposition. There are no obvious financial implications arising from this proposition. Any other financial implications will depend upon the actions of the Minister for Planning and Environment following any States' request.

Wording of petition

To: T h e Minister for Planning and Environment

RE, The residents of the La Moye area living adjacent to the proposed development of Fields 190/192, Rue De La Sergeante,

Wish to present to you this petition signed by those local residents that are opposed to the density and level of development of this green field site.

238 signatures