The Milennium Town Park - election issue?

[Razzard]

Some men in high-viz overcoats have started drilling again in Gas Place car park in yet another attempt to ascertain the health risks associated with the removal of toxic waste in order to create a green lung in the heart of residential St. Helier.

Residents of the area have grown accustomed to the drilling activity nearing elections and are entrenched in their collective view that nothing will be forthcoming from the States on the back of years of broken promises.

This issue hasn’t featured at all so far but I would be interested to know what all the candidates thought, especially the 2020 possy.

[newmac]

I don't think that area will ever be a park, more likely to be high rise towers blocks
and they'll probably use the excuse that if people want affordable flats they have to be built some where.

All the money and attention is being put in to the water front area.

[danrok]

They could build a car park, with one underground level, one at ground level, and a park on top of that.  Then allocate a load of spaces to town residents who live near by, and allocate the remainder to private rental spaces.  On street parking could then be eliminated in a number of residential streets.  Fewer cars parked in streets, plus a park could have a very positive effect on that part of town.  They could widen the pavements in some streets, and plant a rows of trees.

[Sarah Ferguson]

I do support the town park - environmentally, greening that area will take several degrees off the temperature.

What I want to do is to make sure that we have the spare cash to make a good job of it.

[Razzard]

Why does it need to be spare cash?

Hopefully you can now see why the people who live in that part of St. Helier get disillusioned with politicians saying they support the idea (oh yes very lovely must have good for the town residents etc ) but then sort of sidestep the difficult bit which is getting political consensus, nailing down the funding and getting on with the job in hand.

[Mark Forskitt]

I rather like the vacant lot gardening concept, see the link in my old post
http://st-ouennais.livejournal.com/3750.html

Low cost, quick to set up, not affected by  soil contamination issues. Security the one issue I can see may need to be addressed.

[Razzard]

I've just checked out the vacant lot gardening concept and whilst it doesn’t meet the long term brief it’s a good idea and a step in the right direction. Thank you Mark.

If you can bring something new to the table, whether an idea or some life experience from a different country then I'm all ears.

I know Sarah Ferguson meant well when she said she wanted extra cash to make sure it was a "good job" but right now for the residents of St. Helier any job would be better than the current inertia.

The waterfront is an unmitigated disaster, eyesore, cultural, political and social embarrassment. The town park project could be an excellent way of re-connecting with the electorate, of motivating a community and demonstrating that States members are capable of delivering something of lasting benefit.

How will it be funded? A 5% cut in all states departments’ expenditure from 2010. A ban on using UK consultants for three years. Recruiting local people to the senior civil service roles whilst reducing top salaries. Disband the communications unit and basically most of what Kevin Keane suggested but was ignored by the current COM.

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

Did you know that the last load of allotments were a failure- why?? Because the plonkers at planning didn't want a communal shed where people could safely lock up their tools!

[moot]

If it was up to the present Assembly the Town Park would never built
They are just going through the motions and keeping the residents hope up.
How many of them live in St Helier ? Is it 8 or 9 ?  LIving comfortably out of town they couldn't give a damn. I remember Pierre Horsfall saying on the radio when the subject was hot topic that they looked everywhere for an alternative site and one of them was Grand Vaux but "parking was a problem" !!  The pillock completely missed the point as the park is supposed to be a breathing space for concrete surrounded townies, stressed finance workers, mothers with children etc
Driving doesn't come into it at all
I bet you next year another delay will be announced for reasons of recession.
Any excuse not to build it.....  The money will used instead to build the Sir Phillip Bailhache National Gallery ! 

[Razzard]

Dylan, can you expand on that?

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

Dylan, can you expand on that?

Yeah, the site was to be at Les Creux next to the School parents parking/drop off area. Opposite a lot os social housing.

[danrok]

So, where there is now a row of expensive houses?

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

Still an empty field, behind the arch. ( Sorry - not oligarch)

[danrok]

So, it seems the Ministers' plan is now:

• Build multi-story car park at Ann Court
• Public park at Gas Place
• possibly demolish Minden Place car park, and create an open space there.

[Razzard]

If Cohen did that he would be committing such an act of betrayal on the people of St. Helier, the ones that have invested a huge amount of time and emotional energy into seeing that the project is realised, that there would be outrage beyond, in my opinion, the comprehension of his feeble mind. It would put him on a collision course with a disenfranchised section of society and would make a mockery of his supposed love of 'community relations'.

The Talman land and gas place car park should be made into a large green lung in the heart of residential St. Helier for the benefit of our children and their children’s children.

Where did you hear that btw Danrock?

PS - Freddie is, in my opinion, a truly appalling man! But it's just my opinion I accept.