GUERNSEY TOMORROW’S ideas for the future of Town retail have been labelled disastrous by a Chamber of Commerce spokesman.
Retail sub-committee chairman David Falla is warning businesses could suffer if a suggestion to convert Fountain Street and the Bordage to residential use becomes reality.
The Policy Council strategic land planning group initiative has so far taken account of more than 700 islanders’ views.
‘We should be nurturing and regenerating these quieter areas of Town,’ said Mr Falla (pictured).
‘We should not be taking away trade.’ He was concerned the island could suffer the same pitfalls as Jersey.
‘In St Helier investment has gone into the waterfront, leaving the town with pockets of dereliction,’ he said.
‘These are a real eyesore. St Peter Port could do with some selective development around the harbour, but it should not be at the expense of the existing businesses. We need a subtle approach to regeneration.’ He said the south of Town would not be suited to residential needs.
‘This is one of the most polluted and noisiest roads in the island because of the traffic,’ he said.
‘It’s not the best place for housing.
Parking would also be very difficult.’ Ideas put forward include a suggested to use the piers for shops rather than parking, which should be moved to the edge of St Peter Port.
But Mr Falla was also staunchly against that idea.
‘Already on Saturdays people come into Town to do their shopping and find there is no parking,’ he said.
‘It means people go home and do their shopping online.
I think it would kill off retail in Town unless there is good parking.
It’s a disastrous policy.’ Mr Falla said islanders needed to remember that St Peter Port was a tourist draw.
‘Tourists are less likely to come to Guernsey unless our jewel in the crown is attractive and has good parking.’ The Guernsey Retail Forum met for the first time last week.
About 12 retailers discussed the future needs of businesses.
Mr Falla said it had come to a very different conclusion to Guernsey Tomorrow’s.
‘The views were opposite to Guernsey Tomorrow,’ he said.
‘We need to be careful that we do not interfere too much and nurture St Peter Port and Guernsey.’ Mr Falla said the forum was likely to meet again to discuss Guernsey Tomorrow’s ideas after an exhibition starts on Wednesday.
n A manned exhibition of Guernsey Tomorrow’s ideas can be seen at Checkers at Admiral Park from tomorrow until Friday from 3-6pm.
It can then be seen at the former post office in Smith Street on Wednesday 9 December from noon-3pm and from 7-9pm the following day.
Article posted on 1st December, 2009 - 11.30am
6 Article Comments
I applaud you David Falla. Thank goodness a man who is speaking some sense. Basically the plans is to clense Trinity Square and Mill Street of any retail units what so ever and create a structure of super shops or special shops further destroying other small retail outlets. I attended the Gsy Tomorrow exercise and must say I was extremely concerned that the exercise was in fact a blue print in moving forwards in the whole rezoning and redesigning of our retail outlets in St PP amongst other things. A rather cunning exercise because the label of moving forwards with stratigic planning is not the idea of the relevant Department but of the public, a public who it seems wants to destroy St PP.
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A better title would be ‘Jersey tomorrow’
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A review of rent charged might be a first step towards a bit of entrepreneurship and regeneration of the old quarter. It strikes me from anecdotal evidence as though rent in all parts of SPP are on the high side. And I couldn’t agree more, turning the south of town into a residential area is a crackpot idea.
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Town got to be Town without much in the way of planing. People built houses and businesses where they could afford, often on the outskirts as this was cheaper. The various Town areas come and go in popularity terms. If we really want a Town where we can actually buy stuff we want and obtain the services we need, then a huge mistake will be made if businesses are forced only to operate in high rent areas. Following the years of Market development, which helped (along with a lack of parking) to cripple many businesses in the area, Fountain Street/Bordage are ripe for a repricing. If this happens we may well see the area vibrant again.
This “tomorrow” looks like a developer’s dream and a small trader’s nightmare, as usual. Oddly, an architect who one might naturally assume to be in favour of this kind scheme has the sense to recognise the potential damage.
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“Guernsey Tomorrow” more surprising than Beer with bubbles at The Wolf
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It would be lovely if Guernsey’s town could be something like the the Salisbury model of independent shops, precints and vibrancy.
Mr. Falla is right, we ’should be nurturing’. But Guernsey hasn’t and won’t take the measures required to do that.
We can all sit and dream of ‘the way we were’ but, the island has moved on, shopping patterns have changed.
In my view the island is in need of accommodation and there is scope within many of these buildings to release pressure from other parts of the island. We need to accept the reality of the moment and allow some of these shops to be moved back into residential.
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