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3.9 The Deputy of St. Peter of the Minister for Transport and Technical Services regarding valuation of land for pumping station at H2 development site, Field 848, St. Peter :
In respect of the requirement for a pumping station on the H2 development, Field 848 in the Parish of St. Peter, what method has been used to value the land (a car park) upon which the pumping station is to be constructed, what is the value, does the value reflect a full commercial amount, how long will the car park be out of commission and what are the dimensions of any excavations?
Deputy G.W.J de Faye (The Minister for Transport and Technology Services):
May I congratulate the Deputy of St. Peter on his joint operations with the Constable of St. Lawrence on this issue. [Laughter] It must be joined-up government. The area of land on which it is proposed to site the pumping station is to remain in public ownership and not sold to the developer. The car park is also in the shoreline zone in the Island Plan, which effectively precludes, or presumes against a new development where a gap would be lost in terms of view. Siting of the station at this location will result in the loss of a number of car parking spaces to allow for a small switch gear enclosure and access for maintenance vehicles. The developer is therefore to be asked to pay a commuted sum to cover the loss of income from those car parking spaces over a period of 10 years. That sum is £8,000, and has been based on the loss of 4
spaces for 6 months of the year for a 10-year period at the current monthly season ticket value, assuming 75 per cent occupancy. It is accepted that this is not the full commercial value; however, allowance has been made for the fact that a significant
public benefit will be realised with the construction of the pumping station. It is
likely that during construction of the station, the majority of the car park will be out of service for a period of 10-12 months; however, the developer will be expected to cover the loss of income from the car park while construction is taking place. Alternative car parking is available in the nearby Goose Green car park, although car parking charges, in response to an earlier question made by the Deputy of St. Peter, will of course be under review. With regard to the dimensions of any excavations, detailed design has not yet been carried out, but an exact size of the structure cannot be given; however, it is roughly going to be in the order of 12 metres by 7 metres, and will be an underground structure.
- The Deputy of St. Peter :
Would the Minister outline what the public benefit is with regard to this pumping station and the loss of 4 parking spaces and the loss of the whole car park for a year, in the fact that it is a requirement - a planning requirement upon the developer - to provide a pumping station to mitigate flooding in their development, which will return a great profit?
Deputy G.W.J. de Faye:
Well, my perception of what the public benefit is - I think it would be reasonably clear not just to me, but to other Members - is that that particular area has a general history of intermittent flooding, and I have been assured over a series of reports by hydraulics experts who have worked on the development in advisory capacity, that the pumping station and its capacity will totally mitigate any flooding threat to that area. Flooding threats have already existed; that it can now be brought to an end I think is a benefit to the public.
- The Deputy of St. Peter :
Can the Minister explain how this pumping station is going to mitigate the flooding of the car park? There are photographs taken recently of the car park being flooded to a level of approximately 1½ feet. I am a little bit concerned how this system is going to work, if it is.
Deputy G.W.J de Faye:
I have not seen those photographs myself, and I am not directly aware of the car parking flooding threat. The flooding I am talking about is the flooding that goes on in the fields to the north of the car park and the main road, which has been a cause of concern to local residents for many years. I am no expert, and do not claim to be an expert on hydrology and pumping operations in particular, but all the explanations given to me so far are in my opinion entirely satisfactory and indicate that a pumping station of this nature will fix the problem.