24 June 2014
The future of St Helier will come under scrutiny as a project to consider how to make Jersey’s capital a better place to live and work in, and visit, is launched next month.
The Future St Helier project will involve a broad range of work, including seminars and workshops, designed to promote discussion on the development of St Helier in decades to come.
Urban regeneration
The project will start with a seminar at the Radisson Hotel in July, during which attendees will get the chance to hear from a range of expert speakers who have been involved in urban regeneration projects elsewhere. The speakers will talk about some of the issues, challenges and opportunities for St Helier.
The seminar is mainly aimed at industry and government leaders. Speakers include:
- David Prichard – architect and urban designer, Director of Metropolitan Workshop
- Townshend Landscape Architects
- Anthony Brewer, Associate Director of Urban Design/Landscape Architecture at Battle McCarthy
- Russ Edwards, Design Director at Pocket
- Tiago Oliveira, Associate at Arup
Planning Minister Deputy Rob Duhamel said, “This project is hugely significant, not just for town, but for the whole Island. If Jersey is serious about protecting its coast and countryside, we need to ensure that our urban areas are also desirable places to be.
“Greater St Helier does have the capacity to accommodate more development but, in doing so, we need to look more closely at how this might be done and what we need to do to make it better. We can learn a lot from other places, and I am delighted that we have a range of top speakers who can share their ideas and lessons with us to start off the debate.”
Engage everyone
The Future St Helier project, which is being led by the Department of the Environment, aims to engage everyone with an interest in St Helier and its future.
Topics for discussion may include:
- The quality of homes and living space in town
- The availability and access to public open space – including parks, squares and streets
- How easy is it to move in and around town – by foot, bike, car, bus or van?
- What should St Helier look and feel like – how high or dense should its buildings be; what architectural style or character might they have; what type of land uses and activities will be happening in town?
- Does St Helier have a sense of identity and place – does it have neighbourhoods that people identify with and belong to?
- How can we maintain, improve or developed a sense of community?
The outcome of the seminar will inform future events and work being done to develop an overall vision for Future St Helier, and a programme of plans and proposals to help make it happen.
People can also get involved and share ideas and thoughts on Twitter using #futureStHelier
gov.je