From Brian Hotton
WITH reference to Alan Le Breton’s article dated 28 October and headlined “£10m. Easy to say quickly…”, I agree with most of what he writes. However, the Town Park should be seen in a different light.

‘Without its potential lure of convenient underground parking, there is little to draw the public to it.’ He is now thinking like most Jersey politicians, unfortunately.

I do not know the true costing of the Town Park, like most States Members I believe do not know. So the States have £10 million at the moment, so they need about another £25 million to complete the Town Park.

Get in a professional quantity surveyor (a good one), and when the final figure is decided upon draw up a watertight contract (don’t let a civil servant near it). Invite contractors from all over Europe, even further afield and of course local firms and ensure they have the necessary bond to cover the cost in case of default.

Now, instead of seeing the Town Park as a cost and drain on public funds, look at it as an investment.

Incorporate an underground car park for at least 1,000 cars, more if possible, and as we already know that digging down is necessary to remove the contaminated soil, don’t tunnel, just build straight up and then cover with ground to make the park.

The water table will not interfere with the car park. In Paris there is an underground car park built partly under the River Seine and a medieval church; the church was not demolished and the Seine just carried on doing what rivers do naturally.

A 1,000-space car park could bring in a return of at least 5 per cent per annum on the cost of construction, a lot better return than some States investment of the present and the past.

I am sure the Chief Minister would back me up on that, and of course there would be benefits to the thousands of people and children who live in flats in this area of town – yes, children in States flats as well as private bedsits with no gardens or greenery around them; just look at Westley Court opposite the Grande Marché and the new building site next to it, hundreds of flats and thousands of people and no gardens or greenery for the families and children.

Besides the financial gain from this investment there will also be health benefits for all the people living in this and surrounding areas.

Then of course the States could always consult Andrew Le Quesne, who has done much work on the Town Park at no cost to the States.