Red Houses Car Park: lease.

STATES OF JERSEY

RED HOUSES CAR PARK: LEASE

Lodged au Greffe on 14th July 2015 by Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade

STATES GREFFE

2015   Price code: A  P.73

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to request the Minister for Treasury and Resources –

1. not to proceed with the lease of a car park at Red Houses Upper Car Park, La Route des Quennevais, St. Brelade , as proposed in the Report presented  to the  States  on  1st  July  2015,  by  the  Minister,  in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 168;
2. to agree that a public consultation should take place with, but not limited  to,  the  residents  of  Red  Houses  and  the  surrounding  area before any change of use is agreed to.

DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE

REPORT

Matters  relating  to  parking  for  both  residents  and  shoppers  in  and  around  the Les Quennevais area are of great interest to my constituents. Indeed, when first elected in 2008, I promised to do what I could to help improve parking in the area, and some success was achieved in creating additional residential parking by working closely with Jersey Property Holdings (JPH) over this period.

So it was disappointing to find out, only when reading R.78/2015, about a deal which had been done between JPH and Waitrose for the current Transport and Technical Services pay-card car park. (The plan for the site, as published within R.78/2015, is attached as an Appendix to this report for ease of reference.) As the longest-serving current member for the parish, who has always shown a keen interest in parking matters in what is one of the most densely populated areas of our Island, I would have hoped to have been part of the process and, more importantly, that public consultation would have occurred with the residents. This has not happened.

The Connétable advises me that he was consulted, but that he was not aware of the exact detail.

It is important that changes like this happen with the knowledge, and preferably consent, of the people who will be affected.

I should add that I am not necessarily opposed to a lease being given on this car park, nor for that to be given to Waitrose: the upper car park is not fully utilised, but this is largely  because  it  is  a  one  hour  pay-card  area,  and  free  longer-term  parking  is available next door. However, my constituents will have certain questions about the proposals, and the devil with be in the detail. They will want to know how many spaces are being leased to Waitrose, how many public spaces will be left, what the overall value of the lease is, how any remaining public paying spaces will be policed, and whether such policing will represent value for money. They will want to know if staff will be able to park their cars there, so that they do not need to park in Old Clos des Sables, as has been the case before now. They may also be keen to know, as I am, whether the spaces are being let at market rate, and whether other interested parties were made aware of possibility of acquiring spaces and how they might go about applying for them.

In light of this, I am also requesting that the Minister would, with the consent of Waitrose, allow for the detail of the report to be published, given that this is public land and that there is a public interest attached to it. In this case, I do not see why Waitrose would object to this.

Financial and manpower implications

The financial consequences will depend on any alternative future use of the car park and the results of the public consultation.

Page - 3

P.73/2015

APPENDIX