The proposal, part of the plans to celebrate ‘Liberation 75’, would involve merging the two squares and removing the link road between Route de la Libération and the Esplanade in time for Liberation Day next year.
The plans were due to go on display at the Jersey Museum from today.
The Jersey Chamber of Commerce is now calling for an urgent review of the plans.
Chamber president Eliot Lincoln yesterday spoke out against the project, which he fears will cause disruption to businesses and commuters and said it has not been properly researched with the business community.
He said: ‘The normal engagement process used for other traffic changes have been cast aside without thoughts on the impacts to the retail heart of our Island.
‘Giving the impression in a government press release that everyone is happy with these plans is, at best, disingenuous.’
Mr Lincoln’s comments follow a statement made by Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis last week claiming the plans had been met with little
objection from local businesses who, he added, seemed ‘largely happy’ about them.
However, the Chamber has rejected this claim and said that businesses on the Esplanade link road were ‘less than happy’ with the plans.
Mr Lincoln added: ‘Personally, I just don’t see the benefit of the current plan when weighed against the disruption, delays and frustration it will cause.
‘This plan would be significantly disruptive to the flow of traffic around Hill Street and the Pomme d’Or Hotel for what I can see is of little benefit.
‘Sending doubledecker buses around the block will only increase the risk of accidents, on top of the additional time spent on the loop around Hill Street.’
Domino Cabs owner Ian Le Gallais, from Chamber’s Transport and Tourism Committee, said that he is unhappy with
the lack of consultation so far.
He said: ‘Before launching such plans, taxi drivers and businesses that regularly have to deliver through St Helier should have been consulted.
‘The impression we get is this is a foregone conclusion.
‘It is also disappointing that there is a lack of any consideration to increasing the taxi spaces in the areas, despite rank drivers having asked for this for a long time.’
