NEW planning guidance will help create a waterfront of international renown, according to the Waterfront Enterprise Board.

The States-owned company, who are charged with delivering the waterfront, say they are pleased that UK consultant Chris Shepley, who compiled the planning guidance, recognised the contribution high-quality tall buildings could make.

WEB managing director David Margason said: ‘We welcome the supplementary planning guidance which recognises the contribution that a limited number of well-designed tall buildings can make to the St Helier waterfront development and clarifies in greater detail how the existing tall buildings policy should be applied at the site.

‘The Shepley report recognises the commonly expressed desire of the public to see real progress on the waterfront but it also recognises the need to deliver high-quality buildings.

The process by which future application designs brought forward on waterfront sites will be assessed by the planning department will no doubt be robust.’ However, Mr Shepley also said in his report that the relationship between WEB and Planning needed repair.

He said: ‘During consultation, many comments were made to the effect that WEB had driven the schemes too aggressively, and that the rationale for the inclusion of tall buildings had not been explained.

The publication of a new scheme in the JEP the night before the waterfront forum did not assist WEB’s cause.

‘I recommend that these relationships – between WEB and the Planning Department especially, but also between WEB and the public – need repair.

This is a cultural issue, not one which can be solved simply by establishing procedures, but I believe it is in the interest of both the States and WEB that this should be resolved.’