ST Helier’s parks, green spaces and children’s play areas ought to be offered greater protection, a backbench politician has said.
In an amendment to the government’s Common Strategic Policy, Deputy Victoria Li is proposing two new ministerial commitments to improve public spaces and community facilities.
The first would require an updated St Helier Open Space Audit by the end of 2027, alongside “measurable standards” for accessible green space and play areas for children and young people. The second would commit the government to maintaining the overall amount of publicly accessible open space in St Helier, with any space lost to development replaced elsewhere in the parish.
The proposals come as the government plans to make St Helier a key focus for regeneration, new housing and investment, including the development of a new higher and further education campus in the town centre.
Deputy Li argues that the government’s evidence on open space is now out of date, with the most recent comprehensive audit published in 2018.
That assessment found St Helier had approximately 90 hectares of public open space. However, once sports facilities, cemeteries and areas with limited public access were excluded, the amount of freely usable space fell to just 7.7sq-m per resident.
Deputy Li said: “The 2018 audit itself compared town with the UK’s national benchmark, the Fields in Trust guidelines. On that measure, St Helier falls short on every type of space it tested.”
Children’s play provision was identified as a particular concern by the St Helier North Deputy, who said that the audit found equipped play space was around 61% below the standard set in the 2008 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Study.
Of 32 equipped play sites identified, only six were fully open to the public, with many others located within social housing estates, she said.
The 2018 survey also found that around 18% of St Helier parishioners had no outdoor space at home, making public spaces particularly important for those households.
“The evidence base is now eight years old,” Deputy Li said. “Since 2018 new housing has been built in town, and major sites including Overdale, Fort Regent and the Waterfront are being redeveloped. A regeneration strategy built without an updated audit would be planning without a baseline.”
Deputy Li argued that updated figures are needed to ensure regeneration plans account for the needs of a growing population, particularly children and young people.
She added: “The CSP rightly makes St Helier the focus of regeneration and new homes. This amendment makes sure the people who live there, especially children and young people, are not left with less space as town grows.”
The proposals will be considered alongside the government’s wider Common Strategic Policy for the four-year political term, which is due to be debated by the States Assembly on 10 November.
