A LANDOWNER in St Ouen’s Bay has offered to make part of his coastal property available for parking if it would prevent bollards from being installed along a section of the Five Mile Road.
Jason Simon said the £15,000 project, which was signed off by Infrastructure Minster Kevin Lewis and designed to stop vehicles from parking on the side of the road between El Tico and Le Braye, could discourage people from visiting St Ouen’s Bay.
Mr Simon owns the two plots of land that sit between El Tico and Le Braye, which are divided by the Chicken Wire footpath, which is owned by the States. The total area is equivalent to about five football pitches.
He has suggested that part of the land could be used to create a small ‘natural’ parking area, similar to those in other locations along the road.
‘I have approached the Infrastructure Department to suggest that some of my land could be used for parking.
‘I don’t know the ins and outs of how it would look but I would want to keep it as green and as natural as possible,’ he said. ‘I want to keep the area looking open and to avoid bollards being put in because they are unsightly.
‘We don’t want to pedestrianise St Ouen’s Bay and we don’t want to stop people coming to the bay. We want to make it available to everyone to enjoy responsibly.’
The planned measures to install bollards along the road have already been heavily criticised.
Members of the surfing community have urged the government to explore alternative solutions, with Dominic Boletta, president of the Jersey Surfboard Club, describing the decision as ‘thoughtless’.
Heritage campaigner Alastair Layzell said the proposal was akin to ‘using a sledgehammer to crack a nut’.
However, Joao Camara, St Peter’s Chef de Police, said an accident would happen if action was not taken.
Mr Simon added: ‘I appreciate that safety is a concern, but there is only a very limited time in the year in which this parking could be an issue.
‘I am trying to provide an alternative solution and, in order to combat any parking problems they may have, we could encourage people to park elsewhere by creating these spaces.’
