PLANS to revive an ageing part of St Helier and introduce almost 100 new homes have been welcomed by the parish Constable.
Simon Crowcroft said that the designs unveiled by historic retailer and builders’ merchant Romerils yesterday – to regenerate its store, head office and car parks in Dumaresq and Hue streets – would make the area ‘a more pleasant place’ and benefit the surrounding businesses.
Islanders are being invited to view and discuss the plans, which also involve building 59 one-, 22 two- and 13 three-bedroom apartments, at a consultation meeting in the Town Hall today (Thursday) from 10am to 4pm.
Noting the proposed increase in retail space of approximately 10,000 square feet, Mr Crowcroft said the development was ‘another example of local businesses being willing to invest in St Helier’.
‘It is a really good thing – people talk about retail being in trouble but this idea of everyone buying things online doesn’t hold up when you look at some of the businesses in town investing in the area,’ he added.
Romerils chair Mark Syvret has said that at least 15% of the properties contained within the plans need to be designated for affordable housing – which could mean a shared-equity scheme – but that the company was seeking to allocate ‘significantly more’ than the required amount.
Mr Crowcroft said: ‘The Island will have to accept that if we want to keep our fields green then we need to avoid urban sprawl. I’d much rather see this type of development, which introduces residents into the heart of town.’
However, he added that the government needed to invest in more open space and that there was ‘a real need for a parking strategy’ for the Island.
