Planned development risks turning St Helier into a ‘watered down Gotham City’

• Save Jersey Heritage believe the plans are ‘overwhelming’ and must be changed.
• Read the history of the site below.
• Do you want the development to go ahead? Take part in our poll.

PLANS for a 183-home development in the north of St Helier are ‘overwhelming’ and must be changed, according a lobby group.

Campaigners from Save Jersey’s Heritage have warned that the planned project, close to Grand Marché, risks turning St Helier into a ‘watered down Gotham City’.

Residential Accommodation

• 80 one-bedroom apartments
• 84 two-bedroom apartments
• 3 three-bedroom apartments
• 6 three-bedroom maisonettes
• 10 three-bedroom town houses

Total: 183 units of accomodation

Commercial Units

4 commercial units will be included as part of the design proposals:

• Unit 1 – 307m2
• Unit 2 – 104m2
• Unit 3 – 104m2
• Unit 4 – 95m2

Parking

• 10 dedicated car parking spaces for the commercial units
• 183 residential car parking spaces
• 17 visitor car parking spaces (including two electric car charging points)

Servicing Areas

• Bicycle storage
• Resident storage
• Plant Refuse/recycling area

If the proposals are given the go-ahead, 80 one-bedroom flats, 84 two-bedroom flats, three three-bedroom apartments, six three-bedroom maisonettes, ten three-bedroom town houses and four commercial units will be built on the site, which used to house the Play.com warehouse.

The plans were submitted weeks after residents campaigned against different proposals to build 297 flats on the nearby Jersey Gas site.

The plans have since been approved by Environment Minister Steve Luce.

Now Save Jersey’s Heritage president Marcus Binney has labelled the plans for the site, which sits on L’Avenue et Dolmen du Pré de Lumières and Rue Le Masurier, as ‘overwhelming’ and called on the existing granite and brick warehouses to be retained.

The lobby group have also drafted in UK architect Jonathan Dransfield.

Mr Dransfield designed a residential project in Cornwall that incorporated new residential buildings and workshops within a historic layout.

Mr Binney said: ‘We are not opposed to some housing on the site but the scale of what is proposed is overwhelming.

‘It is starting to look as if the aim of the States for St Helier is to cram residents into boxy flats like sardines.

‘Protecting the countryside is essential and it makes good sense to encourage town living. New projects, however, should demonstrate an appreciation of their surroundings and we are not convinced that this one does.’

His points regarding the development were echoed by Save Jersey’s Heritage chairman Advocate Christopher Scholefield who said St Helier faces a clear choice.

‘Is it to become some sort of watered down Gotham City or to witness a genuine revival of urban living?

‘Blocks of flats on this and other urban sites will not lead to a real regeneration or encourage a vibrant community.

‘Why can’t we have a development in harmony with the best of its surroundings, namely the Victorian terraces to the north and west?

‘These hulking schemes will deny St Helier the revival enjoyed by towns all over southern England and perhaps even provide the seed bed for the social problems of the future.’

The outline scheme comprises 183 units in an L-shaped site which wraps around the north and west sides of the Co-Op’s main St Helier store.

Islander Francis Binney, who lives near to the planned development with his wife and two children, said he is against the current plans and thinks any development needs to be in keeping with the area.

‘I think that we do need to consider people living in the area,’ he said. ‘There are Victorian terraced houses in the area which would not mix well with massive, chunky blocks of flats.

‘We should be thinking about the development in the context of space and not just as a money making scheme.’

When the plans were announced last month, readers commenting on the news were overwhelmingly positive about the scheme. Comments included:

Pierre: Excellent. Town needs more good quality housing. It will bring life to town and is walkable distance from shops, so traffic should improve. It also stops building on greenfield sites. Well done.

Puffin: When I saw the headlines I cringed but was pleasantly surprised at what a fine looking development this is! Jersey needs developments of this standard, and not hideous ones like the ghetto that has been planned for Ringbinder Park, which looks like it will encourage gangs and end up being a place you don’t want to walk past at night.

No Axe to Grind: What a fine scheme! Good luck with it. Just what St Helier needs.

The site formed part of Le Marais de St Helier which was the low lying marshland behind the sand dunes, encircled by several large hills (Mont’s) that surrounded the developing town in the medieval period.

• 1155 – The site together with the town mill was given to Augustinian monks of the then Abbey of St Helier, located on L’Islet, now known as Elizabeth Castle. The Abbey later become a Priory. It is likely that the area was used for sheep grazing and that it may have been crossed by the stream called La Grande Douet, which in modern times became the Town Brook.
• 1299 – Assize Roll indicates the marsh being drained and it is possible the monks may have dug the Faux Bié (or false leat) and redirected La Grande Douet – thus allowing both the main stream and the false leat to be cleaned alternatively. A millpond may have existed in the area now known as Simon Place and St Saviour’s Road. Another mill was located near to where York Street now runs, but this was subsequently moved in around 1590 to be near to La Chapelle de la Madeleine (opposite the Town Church), as its noise was disturbing local residents. The marsh was an area of clay (cow-belly clay) and did not, consequently, drain well. There were occasions when phosphorescence, also known as marsh gas, Will’o the Wisp or Jack a ‘Lantern would light up the ground in the immediate area. In Jèrriais the expression for this is feu follet. This would have made the area quite spooky and people at the time reported ghostly apparitions although a counter argument exists that area was popular with ‘ladies of the night’ so superstitious stories kept the innocent at bay. One of the then nearby fields was called La Pièce à la Dame (from Hilgrove Street – encompassing what is now parts of Bath Street, Peter and Charles Street), which might also suggest a female ghost haunted the area.
• 1626 – Mr & Mrs Abraham Middleton purchased two fields (named Le Jardin & Le Pre de Middleton) to the north east of La Pièce à la Dame, from Hugh de Soulemont who had acquired them following the bankruptcy of Abraham de Ste Croix, son of Helier. Le Pré de Middleton measured 3 vergees, 7 perches and 8 pieds. They were behind the house of Helier de Ste Croix, now the location of Oxford Road. Abraham may have been involved in shipping his wife’s halfbrother – but this is speculative and requires further research. Due to Abraham being away from the Island for long periods of time, he gave his wife his power of attorney. From 1626 the couple had several children baptised in St Helier: Abraham, Raulin, Jean, Jeanne and Elizabeth. Abraham died in 1646 and his wife Mabel in 1671. He may have become bankrupt at about the time of his death.
• 18th Century – During this century, the two fields were passed to the Hilgrove family. They were a wealthy brewing family who have their name to the Street, on which they owned at least four properties. Several of the Hilgroves became Constables of St Helier.
• 1806 – Thomas, James and Clement Hilgrove sold Le Pré de la Commune to Thomas Le Breton. George and Clement Hilgrove sold Le Jardin de Middleton (situated to the North of Le Pré de Middleton) to Jean Stephenson. Their brother George Hilgrove sold Le Pré de Middleton in 1807 also to Thomas Le Breton and in 1809 sold La Pièce à la Dame to David de Quetteville (this field measured 10 vergees, 16 perches and 2 pieds).
• 1830 – 7th June, Thomas Edge establishes the Channel Islands first gasworks on land purchased from Philippe de Quetteville, son of David. There is a small booklet in the library of the Société Jersiaise called ‘The History and Development of the Jersey Gas Light Company Ltd’ which has a picture of the Gas Works site in 1840 and a plan of the original works in about the same year. The site location was where the BOA Warehouse now lies. The 1851 census of London makes it clear that Thomas Edge’s company was sizeable, employing 7 clerks, 2 foremen, 77 men and 20 boys. His business was variously called, The Gas Light Office, The Lamp and Chandelier Manufactory, and The Gas Fitting Manufactory. The address was 59 Great Peter Street until 1863 when it was 16 Regent Street. He was responsible for the introduction of gas lighting to both Jersey and Guernsey. He was president/chairman of the Jersey Gas Company from 1831 to 1856. In his English affairs, Thomas Edge became bankrupt and on 30th September 1856 a receiver sold the St Helier gasworks to local trustees, including Elie Neel.

In their Design Statement for the project, Riva Architects outlined the following reasons for it:

• On 1st April 2012 Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) was removed from goods into the UK and as a result the Channel Islands fulfilment industry collapsed overnight. Play.com, a major player in this industry, surrendered its tenancy of the BOA Warehouse shortly after. This significant 4,375 square metre warehouse has remained empty since.
• The owner’s agents Buckley & Company have been unsuccessful in locating suitable replacement tenants for this large urban site.
• The site currently has negligible/poor occupancy levels and is not economically viable to retain in either its current usage or form.
• While the character of the area may not have substantially changed, standards have, and the current usage is out of keeping with essentially the residential nature of the area.
• 24 hour warehousing represents a nuisance. As demonstrated by the various complaints which historically occurred as a result of the commercial usage.

• Office usage (located in La Masurier House) has tended to move South to the new hub of commercial activity being created around the reclamation area.
• Some of the smaller commercial units on site do not have any sanitation facilities and have to share electrical supplies.
• There is a general trend to relocate light industrial and wholesale uses out of town to avoid the noise and traffic congestion these user groups can cause.
• The Millennium Town Park represents a significant investment by the States of Jersey to stimulate the localised built up area and engender investment and development. These proposals seek to work with these goals.
• The ground contamination issues associated with the site should not be underestimated. The scale of development needs to be adequate to generate sufficient income to address these potential problems.
• In summary, the Applicants say they are ‘proposing to bring some ‘closure’ to the site and achieve a development which is appropriate and relevant to the locality while optimising its development opportunities in line with Policy GD3 – Density of Development’.