ST Saviour parishioners will not be seeing an increase in their rates as a result of a proposed multi-million-pound new park development, which has now been given the initial go-ahead.
Constable Kevin Lewis also confirmed that, despite having a £3.1 million budget, he hoped the project would cost significantly less than that.
This week, more than fifty Islanders attended a parish assembly about St Saviour’s plans to develop the unused land, which includes the construction of a children’s playground, a 32-space car park, public toilets and landscaped gardens, with a café added later.
Giving their approval, the St Saviour electorate overwhelmingly showed support for the scheme and agreed to the use of ring-fenced funds of up to £3.1 million from the Maisons Connétable Ozouf Fund.
The project – which has yet to be officially lodged to the Planning Department – also includes making improvements to surrounding roads including installing pedestrian crossings and access to Birches Avenue.
Future funding will be needed for the development of a café.
Explaining the next steps, Mr Lewis said he hoped official plans will be submitted before Christmas and that it had already received pre-planning approval.
Although up to £3.1 million is available, he said he hoped the first phase of the development could come in under £2 million.
The Constable said he hopes the first spade in the ground will be in roughly twelve months’ time, once planning approval is received and the completion of a tender process to find a contractor.
Despite the initial green light given by parishioners, Mr Lewis said there remains “an awful lot of work to do” before any building starts.
Reflecting on it receiving the support of parishioners, he added: “I’m delighted that we’re moving forward with [the project] now.”
In 2023, a similar scheme on St Martin’s village green, including an accessible children’s playground, was officially opened.
