The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
1240/5(7667)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 4th JUNE 2013
Question
With regard to the proposed sunken road at the Esplanade Quarter, would the Minister advise whether the annual maintenance and running cost of the fume extraction equipment is budgeted for within the suggested £500,000 annual spend (at 2008 figures), and would he further advise whether the fumes will be filtered before release into the atmosphere and, if so, the annual cost of this process?
Would the Minister advise precisely where and at what height the fumes/vent stacks will be released?
Answer
As part of the Esplanade Quarter Masterplan commissioned by the then Minister for Planning and Environment, Transport and Technical Services (TTS) advised on the feasibility and appropriateness of their proposed changes to the existing road network.
These changes included the diverting of a section of the East/West road into a tunnel to allow unhindered development above. TTS determined that the proposals were feasible and Hopkins Architects (the Masterplan Architect for the Esplanade Quarter on behalf of the then Minister for Planning and Environment) subsequently included these proposals in the Esplanade Quarter Masterplan which was approved by the States in June 2008.
Whilst significant and detailed work was carried out on the feasibility of the tunnel and alterations to the existing road network, the detailed planning application for the below ground works was not determined by the Minister for Planning and Environment. The outline application however for both the below and above ground works was approved in July 2010.
An indicative estimate of £500,000 per year was put forward at the time for the overall tunnel maintenance which would have included the running and maintenance costs of the extract system. No detailed design was finalised nor approved for the extract system but it was conditioned to meet the appropriate air quality standards. The indicative design was based on the tunnels being vented via the East and West portals with the aid of forced ventilation in the tunnel negating the need for extract vents on the surface. This matter was addressed by a condition on the outline approval which required full details of all mechanical works in relation to ventilation to be submitted and approved as part of any detailed application.
The States of Jersey Development Company (SoJDC) will be delivering the Esplanade Quarter Masterplan in a number of phases. The first phase of the development will deliver the majority of the office content of the Masterplan and the lowering of La Route de la Liberation will not feature in this phase (this will form part of Phase 2). When Phase 2 is in the detailed design stage, the detail of the tunnel venting will be determined as will the annual running costs of the tunnel.