The Jersey Botanic Garden Trust – a charity that was set up to create a network of gardens across the Island – wants to lease the Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Park for a minimum of 99 years and use this area for its first project.
Under the plans, specialist, exotic or endangered plants would be displayed in the park and visitors would be charged an entrance fee of £9.
The charity would invest £2 million in developing the site, if its proposals are given the go-ahead by Planning. However, a number of Islanders, including parish Constable Steve Pallett, have already raised their concerns about the project.
He said: ‘I can see the benefits for Jersey for tourism and the interest to locals but until I get the information that I need I am neither supporting or not supporting it.
‘I have made it clear that I think there are issues around feasibility and sustainability and how it is going to work financially.
‘The public need to take a view on whether they want a public park made into a private park, were you would have to pay or have a membership to use it.
‘We need a wide public consultation that is advertised properly and people need to be informed about what is to be proposed and if it should fail what would happen.
Bruce Labey, a horticulturist, landscape architect and the founder of the JBGT, has been posting leaflets to residents in St Brelade outlining the details of the charity’s plans for the park.
However, Mr Pallett said that running a botanic garden requires a lot of ‘support and expertise’ and that ‘a lot of questions need to be answered’.
He added: ‘A 99-year lease is a big decision. As a concept, it is a great idea and there are benefits but there is a lot of risk. It is the biggest public park in St Brelade and it is well used in the summer months.
‘It is a free public park that bears the name of Sir Winston Churchill, who is iconic for freedom.’
Islanders have taken to social media to voice their concerns about the development.
On the JEP Facebook page, Andrew Haire said: ‘A lovely existing green lung in
St Brelade’s Bay to become a paid-entrance park – sorry you don’t have my vote on this.’
Tracey Perkins added: ‘Why didn’t they do something like this when Fantastic Tropical Gardens closed down? Or why not create one in the grounds at Fort Regent?’
A meeting, chaired by Constable Steve Pallett, will be held on 25 June at St Brelade’s Parish Hall at 7.30 pm to discuss the idea of a botanical garden at the Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Park. All are welcome.
count0: The Winston Churchill Memorial Park is an oasis of tranquillity with its plants, shade, paths and waterfall, where one can enjoy a degree of peace away from the bustle of the beach-front. I have enjoyed chilling out there for many years, and I fear greatly that commercialising it and converting it into a botanic garden will destroy that peacefulness. The “small section of park to remain free to visit” will be no compensation for this loss. The changes are bound to impact the local fauna too – red squirrels, lizards, etc. The argument about a unique micro-climate seems unlikely given Jersey’s many coves and bays. However, I suspect the attraction of income will carry the day. One last plea: why not allow visitors to Jersey, like myself, to also be members of the JBGT?
Truthsayer: Sounds nice, but means no more park. Why do we need to mess with what’s ok, anyhow?
Grumpy Old Woman: It all sounded good until the words “construction”, “planning” and “admission fee” were brought into the mix. I think that the anticipated £9 is too much – why does Jersey always have to over-charge for everything? I appreciate that the proposed work may be costly but currently access to the park is free – it may not contain overly exciting botanical specimens but it is a pleasant place where Joe Public can go for a bit of peace and quiet and to enjoy the surroundings. The only plus side would be the security fencing would keep the arsonists out!
Perplexed: Hmmm, let’s take an existing, beautiful area, which belongs to the people of Jersey and is there for all to enjoy, free of charge – fence it in, add a few things to it, take a few things out of it and then charge each person who wishes to visit it £9 for the privilege. I must be missing something, because it sounds ludicrous to me. Don’t we have a botanic garden at Samares already? Why would anyone pay to access what is essentially their own park?
curtainlady: I grew up visiting the park on many occasions and know it well. The fact that it was free to do so was probably the only reason. For so long it has seemed unkempt and unloved, but there is a peaceful ambience about the place because it is a place of trees and flowers and nature. I would love it to be enhanced with imaginative botanic plantings. More people would visit it and a garden can ‘absorb’ large numbers of visitors without it losing its peace and quiet. I am concerned about the entry cost and I hope that ways can be found to mitigate this. Perhaps if there was a volunteer scheme where people who could do some work in the park could have free entry. Charities all depend on volunteers to keep costs down. With the vision that the Botanic Garden Charity has for the park it could become a wonderful attraction for visitors. The States have done the right thing in my view to lease it out and now I hope the Planning department won’t stand in their way to put in the improvements necessary.
ST Brelade Constable Steve Pallett is dead right.
If plans announced last week to create a botanical garden – Jersey’s version of Kew Gardens – in Winston Churchill Memorial Park are to get off the ground, those pushing for the scheme must take Islanders with them.
There must be a proper consultation and the arguments for and against must be made openly and with all of the facts provided.
Islanders must be able to decide the future of public spaces which are managed by the States but belong to all of us.
There are some very good reasons to add a new attraction to what Jersey has to offer, something that would be good for both tourists and locals.
It is just a shame that the common-sense approach advocated by Mr Pallett has not been a feature of the Jersey International Finance Centre saga.
Churchill Park is in St Brelade’s Bay, in the west of the Island. It features a memorial bust of Sir Winston Churchill near the main entrance, as well as a waterfall.
Entrances to the park:
Main entrance: from Rue de La Valeuse in St Brelade’s Bay.
Alternative entrance: via Park Estate (steep downhill path this way).
Opening times:
Churchill Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with free admission.
Churchill Park facilities include:
- cafés on the adjacent beachfront promenade
- toilets – including disabled and baby changing facilities in Woodford car park, St Brelades Bay
- a large grass area suitable for picnics – no ball games permitted
- a formal park
The park is not suitable for wheelchairs.
Parking
Public parking available in the adjacent Woodford car park (payment type: paycards).
Source: gov.je
Will this mean loss of free access to the park?
Not entirely, but we will be charging an entrance fee for non-members, exactly like Durrell has always done.
There will be a public garden with a good sized lawn and benches close to our new cafe/restaurant and this will be open free of charge so you can sit in the shade beneath a jasmine covered pergola and enjoy lunch or afternoon tea.
What will happen to the public route down through the park from Red Houses?
This is going to be kept open as it is now but will be altered slightly so the security of the plant collections is not jeopardised.
We hope that those who use the path will find it safer and more pleasant than at present, especially during bad weather.
There is no room in the car park during the summer – how will you cope?
Like almost all gardens, our peak visitor months will be March, April and May. The car park is at its busiest in July, August and September, so we hope there won’t be any problems.
We will also do all we can to encourage people to use the excellent bus services that serve the bay.
What will happen to the trees in the park?
They help to keep the soil in place with their roots so they have important work to do.
As other trees mature beneath them some may be removed, but we aim to keep as much of a canopy over the park as possible.
Where is all this money coming from?
We will be raising funds from the private sector as well as selling membership of the JBGT to local people so that they can enjoy the many benefits that this will bring, including free access to the botanic garden at all times during normal opening hours.
Do you have planning permission?
We have been to see the Minister to explain our plans, which were well received. We have also obtained pre-application advice which was positive.
We will apply for full planning permission once we have signed the lease and drawn up detailed plans.
Will there be a lot of noise and disruption?
Hopefully not. In fact, we believe that our work to secure the park – especially at night – will bring great benefits to the local community, as well as our immediate neighbours.
Any construction works will be limited to normal working hours which will end at 4 pm.
What sort of security will you have in place?
Given the scientific and conservation value of our future plant collections, we will need to make the park secure.
It is hoped that this will be achieved with a combination of planting and fencing to secure the boundary. CCTV, lighting and other measures will also be considered.
How will this affect neighbouring properties?
We hope that the increased security and having such a magnificent garden nearby will have a positive effect on property prices.
Will this create a lot of extra traffic in the bay?
We will be encouraging people to use the excellent bus services that the bay enjoys but there may be additional traffic during our peak months of March, April and May.
Hopefully this will not cause problems, as the bay is relatively quiet in the spring.
We are also hoping that the 30,000 plus hotel guests in the bay each year will choose to visit us on foot.
Why the Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Park – is there no other site?
The WCMP was selected by our colleagues at RBG Kew because of its remarkable microclimate.
No other site in Jersey come close to the park in terms of its mild winter minimum temperatures – this is what determines which plants we can grow outdoors. This is where we need to build the first garden.
Isn’t the WCMP too small?
Exactly what we said to our colleagues from Kew, but they saw this as a positive thing – it keeps costs down during the early years and makes management simpler.
The most important thing about the park is that it has one of the warmest microclimates in the British Isles and we can use that to create a truly stunning garden that will generate funds for other gardens in the future.
We take our inspiration from plants so we are happy to start small and grow.
What happens if your scheme fails?
We will hand back the park to the people of Jersey with greatly improved infrastructure, much better security and a world-class plant collection.
However, we don’t intend to fail – the work that Jersey needs to do for plant conservation is far too important.
How do we know that you can do this – what have you done before?
We have a very good local team with a wealth of expertise.
The design team will be led by Kew-trained horticulturist and landscape artist Bruce Labey.
Bruce has designed and managed many similar schemes over the years, including the grounds of the new Jersey Hospice, the award-winning planting design on the Waterfront and several schemes in St Brelade’s Bay’s amazing microclimate.
Will training courses be run for local gardeners?
Yes, in fact we hope to start these soon as a way of raising funds.
Staff and volunteers at the botanic garden will also have the opportunity to go to RBG Kew for training at various levels.
How can I show my support?
The best way is to go to our Facebook page and ‘like’ us, but we also have a crowd funding campaign running at the moment.
You can make a donation at indiegogo.com/projects/the-jersey-green-ark-campaign.
If you would rather show your support in some other way please write to us at: Oakborne, La Rue de Grouville, Grouville, JE3 9HP.
