Mr Crowcroft also said that as lockdown restrictions had eased pop-up stalls were making a comeback to liven up the Island’s capital and enhance interest for shoppers. But he said that tackling unwelcome behaviour would also make spending time in town more appealing.
The Constable said that he was aware of swearing, littering and people gathering in large ‘intimidating’ groups in St Helier.
‘Antisocial behaviour in the town centre can be really off-putting, especially for those who are vulnerable or feel uncomfortable in busy places due to the ongoing pandemic,’ he said.
‘I think a greater police presence would go a long way to helping this and prevent unnecessary behaviour from spoiling someone’s town experience.’
The long-serving politician explained that having a balance between pop-up stalls and traditional shops, cafés and restaurants was key to keeping
St Helier vibrant and retailers happy.
Street food stalls and other temporary offerings were put on hold during the pandemic but are due to return, with themed days
like ‘Street Food Thursdays’ becoming a more permanent fixture.
A programme has been devised to have different pop-up businesses throughout town in the hope of enhancing the shopping experience for visitors and Islanders.
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said: ‘We think we have got the balance right in the present situation. We want to create a vibrant, colourful, unusual and even quirky range of events in our public space while avoiding unfair competition with our valued existing hospitality and retail outlets.’
The parish are now aiming to increase footfall in the capital, especially on quieter days earlier in the week. Mr Crowcroft added: ‘We have been in constant communication with our high street retailers and other key stake holders in town. The main concern is that Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are significantly slower than others. More themed days like our “Street Food Thursdays” can be introduced, as well as other special offerings such as incentivised parking, which I have been campaigning in favour of for some time.’
Mr Crowcroft said that after liaising with members of the public, he believed that many felt parking was too expensive or car parks too busy. He said ideas such as a voucher scheme whereby Islanders obtained free parking when they spent a certain amount in a shop could be a good solution.
‘I want to see incentives like this introduced in the run up to Christmas so that more people are encouraged to come into town and shop rather than buying online,’ he added.
Town centre manager Vicky Trehorel said it had been ‘lovely’ to get a sense of street theatre back in the high street and praised those behind the temporary stalls for their efforts to keep people safe by producing amended Covid-19 risk assessments.
She added: ‘We aim to be as accommodating as possible as the benefits of pop-ups is something that is demonstrated in towns across Europe by adding bursts of produce that may not
always be available Monday to Friday.’
Mrs Trehorel has called on Islanders to support local businesses as they try to recover from the effects of the restrictions introduced to combat the pandemic.
