Victorian promenade to become access road
Wednesday 3rd November 2010, 2:58PM GMT.
One parishioner has described the plan as 'rape of a very attractive area'. Picture: Peter Mourant
WORK to create a £300,000 new road from Green Street Slip to La Collette along the old Victorian promenade is expected to begin in January.
During States question time yesterday, Transport Minister Mike Jackson announced that the new emergency services access road, which will include major concrete work, would take around six monthsto build. He said that it was needed in case a fire at the new incinerator or the fuel farm meant firefighters were unable to get to La Collette from the west.
His words prompted a string of questions from St Helier Members who voiced concerns about traffic disruption, the impact on the historically-significant walkway, the use of the road by non-emergency services traffic and the fact that the work was going to be carried out ‘in-house’ by Transport and Technical Services.
Deputy Trevor Pitman said that one parishioner had described the plans as ‘the rape of a very attractive area’, and complained that there had not been a proper consultation exercise.
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And how much will this cost?
Why can’t the States just stop spending money on useless things we don’t need??????
Sack the lot of them!
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What is going on here…didn’t they realise they needed access ?
This is a total disgrace, it will only spoil and toxicate more of our island.
I do not live down that way, but i bet the people who do will be up in arms.
What a bunch of….oh, never mind.
See you next tuesday for planning !
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Just trying to figure this one out. If the emergency services cant get to the incinerator from the west then this would mean that the area near the underpass must be blocked. This often happens during rush hour and many of us have seen an ambulance trying to get through the tunnel. However, they do manage to get through.
Thinking about a non west approach, to access the site via Green Street slip, they would have to go up and over St Helier, down St Saviours Road, over the roundabout, down Green Street, hang a left and so on. A pointless, ineffective and doubtless futile exercise.
In order to save a bit of cash why not make the central reservation able to cope with a fire truck bumping over to the wrong side of the road if needs be. In an emergency, send some of our fine boys in blue ahead to clear westbound traffic to clear a fast route . Hey presto.
I think it’s more about old States accounting methods of having to spend every last penny of a budget in case you don’t get the same the following year. .. and don’t think for a moment that this would cost 300k either. With their track record TTS would hike the cost to at least a cool million. The slip road would become a nightmare for local residents as it would be an instant race track for the boys in their souped up Vauxhall Nova’s. This would lead to remote control bollards being erected thus costing more cash.
Mr Jackson – Work out an effective plan involving the emergency services before spunking more of our hard earned readies please.
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When was the slip road discussed, proberly at the same time as the incinerator was dreamt up!
But with public opinion so against the incinerator and Guy du Fay’s delusions, he let that one slide in he face of further public outcry just incase the incinerator was knocked back by all was the thinking it was a carbuncle on the landscape
Another blatant waste of money!
Maybe if we all refused to pay tax, the big wigs might just get the message, STOP SPENDING MONEY ON STUPID PROJECTS THAT NOBODY WANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Isn’t this in a RAMSAR area ?
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Please make it a pretty road.
Make this necessary road a pretty place to run cycle and relax.
If this is done right it can be lovely, a new place to unwind and have fun. If it is done wrong we will have an industrial site slip road infront of the beach.
Just do it right please.
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Another unnecessary ‘keep the boys in work’ project, which will start at 300k and finish nearer to a million.
I whole heartedly agree with the comment ‘the rape of a very attractive area’ and further add how can TTS just decide to desecrate our valued coastline at the drop of a hat.
I would dearly love to have access to the report, to see if the emergencies services were even consulted on this issue, and whom actually suggested it in the first place.
If TTS can do this to the coastline without any consultation of the local populus, then they can also rubber stamp the Kart Clubs application for Sorel Loop!!
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This is the very first I have heard of this scheme. If it has been in the public domain then its been kept very quiet. There are two things that strike me – 1) This project comes at a very heavy price tag when the Island can’t afford new things and 2) How on earth can this action be taken without a full and proper debate. One seriously has to question as to whether we live in a democratic society or whether we are just being ruled by those who care nothing for the Island – just about power and money. When all is gone, when we are left with just concrete and glass only then will they realise – you can’t eat money !!!!
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#1 – a typically reactionary and unhelpful comment. If you researched you would read that this was a budgeted cost in building the incinerator, and as for “useless” I’m guessing that you don’t plan to fight fires at La Collette – those who do might find it useful.
This isn’t to say I want this built either – I just believe in analysing and arguing with the facts rather than going “blah,blah,blah” like the average commentator on this site.
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Stuff the cost yet another part of our once beautiful Island has been dumper in the garbage bin. This is just pure rape and pillage of our home!
STOP STOP STOP!
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Is this where the school’s milk is going, is this where the hospital cuts are being spent…..
Come on guys, get real. This is totally unnecessary and spoiling a lovely area into the bargain.
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must it not be easier, to leave the foot path, and build the road on the seaside ( maybe this is what is going to happen).
if its faced with jersey stone , same as we have now , it should look ok.
a escape road must be a safety requirement .
i often thought that there were bigger plans for that side of the reclamation , such as a marina and hard standing .
also at a later date a deep water berth for , freight shipping and cruise ships.
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cant they just drive over the hill?
mind you building an incinerator next to the biggest fire hazard on the rock, is a bit dumb to start with, and if it does go up you will need more than our fire service to put it out,
lets just hope we dont have a furze fire in st ouen at the same time.
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This road is not needed and will destroy the peace of the bay. Access to the incinerator is currently working fine and will continue to – What a crazy idea!!!
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The rape of a very attractive area is a great way to put it… I’m 20 years old and throughout my life the strip from the Victor Hugo flats to Elizabeth Harbour has been completely decimated. Is this why all the hotels around Harve Des Pas are disappearing? I heard the Ommaroo is next in line. Who would want to visit this part of the island… Something needs to change.
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Access roads to projects such as the incinerator are always designed at planning stage or before.
One doesn’t build and then decide how do we get there!
Only in Jersey!
The emergency services do not require access from this direction. It might be desirable but far from necessary.
Are we short of money or not?
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hay i walk my dog along there.why do that to us .i been walking along to the town for years.what a scam .f…. the rest of us who love this walk.i give up on this islands politics
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I was contemplating the purchase of one of the luxury apartments to be built on the Fort d’Auvergne Hotel site, but now with the incinerator becoming my main outlook and the possibility of the emergency services rudely interrupting my nocturnals, I have decided not to bother – besides which I couldn’t afford it anyway !!!
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This may very well have been passed as part of the original planning application but it does not mean its necessary. Im sure when the plans were submitted there was still cash in the tin and handed out to any crackpot idea that took their fancy. Times have changed they tell us. Tighten your belt. Cut services. Increase tax. Save Save Save.
Lead by example.
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As dear Freddy put on channel tv tonight, he alone has the power to stop things like this, but will he?
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The lengths they have gone to in order to rid the area of naked swimmers and sunbathers appear to be limitless.
Power station, reclamation, recycling facility, fuel farm, incinerator, access road…
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Now the incinerator building belongs to the States they have realised it needs to be insured (and probably can’t be fully commissioned until it is). Just a wild guess that the insurers won’t touch it unless there is access from the east which means that it is going to be done in-house so the costs won’t show.
Just a guess, of course.
Maybe money would be better spent building a new fire station nearby which would then create more space for the police station.
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What a shame this lovely old walkway that so compliments the gardens above it.is to be sacrificed for the ill conceived mass burner..that will still produce massive amounts of toxic ash…when a simple Plasma Gasifier, that produces six times more electricity,No Flyash and only vitreous pebbles that can be used in road covering like they have in Sweden,but then they are a forward thinking people unlike this shower.
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A brand new fire engine costs around £200k, why don’t they buy one and park it up next to the incinerator – £100k saved already!
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Welcome to Jersey !!!
run by incompetents people – less civil servants will be better too – put the wages down for policemen….
when taking a decision, use your common sense and ask around you if it is necessary !! it is called a market research!! is it necessary this road ?? please spend more into children, nurseries….
Right now Jersey is getting bad. It gonna be worst in the next 5 years.
Think simple !!! making things complicated is useless!!
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#4 PJ
Maybe if we all refused to pay tax, the big wigs might just get the message, STOP SPENDING MONEY ON STUPID PROJECTS THAT NOBODY WANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good idea. If we were in France, we might even take to the streets, but the truth is we are all mouth and no trousers. In other words they’ll carry on spending and we will keep on paying.
I am local and TOTALLY ASHAMED of what we have in states members currently, half can’t talk properly and the rest don’t talk…USELESS BUNCH.
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I can’t realte to many of the comments on here.
Firstly, if we have an incinerator (wihch may have a link to fire) then the FIRE SERVICE will deifinitely need access – so it isn’t useless. That’s pretty simple.
Secondly, “rape of a beautiful area” and “peace of the bay”? Which bay is this? The bay is already an industrial site. And has been for a long time. It has the La Collette tower, the incinerator and a landfill site. Oh, and the barracks with its galvanised spiked perimeter fence. Stunning!
Thirdly, and the tricky one, everyone who is relentlessly slating politicians must remember that we all shout and scream that we want our island to be self sufficient and to stand alone as a viable economy. In order to do this we need a certain level of infrastructure. And some of that won’t be aesthetically pleasing. Show me a beautiful power station or incinerator anywhere in the world. On an island 9 miles by 5 there are not many places that a facility like that could be hidden away.
And further more, if the States were to out source the refuse processing they’d be accused of throwing money away anyway.
I don’t always like them , but sometimes they cannot win.
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Beggars belief!
When the States are cutting back on spending why on earth spend money on something like this just to accommodate the car, think green and keep the States coffers for something much more worth while
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As 12 Jay says, it will take more then Trumpton to put a fire out here. If the fuel farm does go up, many people don’t know that the blast zone extends up to…ironically…the Fire Station
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Call me synical but how long will it be before this “Emergency Access Road” becomes “The Eastern Entrance” to the incinerator – That’s how they do it, bit by bit.
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Why wasn’t this thought about at the planning stages and included in the overall cost and not as an after-thought of “Oh crap, what if there is a major fire here and we cant get to it due to it not being accessible” Yet again the tax payer will foot the bill for this states cock-up or is it going to come out of the “Rainy Day” fund.My money is on the tax payer fore sure
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FB @ 27 – AMAZING!! What a well reasoned post that wasn’t.
Let’s all think green – maybe we can all use the water from our water butts to put out the flames! In fact, if we get Fire Service staff on bicycles they could cycle past the fire (really fast before their tires melt) and throw glasses of water at it. Or blow REALLY hard (it works on birthday cakes).
You’re right, however, that in times of a major incident where the lives of many members of hte public, their homes and businesses are in immediate danger I think it best to consider the carbon footprint of a Fire Service Appliance. Oh, hang on, the raging inferno of an exploded fuel farm might just be putting out more CO2 than the fire engine. Just a guess.
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Leave the road as it is and spend the money on a new-generation ‘Fire suppression and extinguishing system’…I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it?
The fire service shouldn’t have to face flames and explosions when equipment can put a fire out in its early stages without putting lives at risk.
The fast reaction of a quality fire detection/extinguishing system can mean the difference between a minor incident and a major loss.
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Truth is the plans are always revealed piecemeal and when it’s too late,they knew fine well if this had been touted in the initial stages they would have had resistance….so they lead folks by the nose gently …Then Whammo out rolls the real agenda…believe me we’ve seen nothing yet thia all powerful island wide quango headed by the overpaid and over here Steven Izatt wil perform wealth making miracles….but NOT for US.
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just move the fire station down to la collete no need to build the road
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i was looking in my crystal ball today and saw big lorries dumping waste east of la Collete,with big muddy tyres .i guess this insight is the next part of the reclamation .think il nip too the bookies and place a bet on that.
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Attractive Victorian Promenade to become concrete monstrosity. Granite sea walls to be lost amongst ugly concrete. Voters have no say in the matter. Typical Jersey Way!
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Why destroy a victorian promenade. If access is required why not adapt the lane that comes down between La Collette Gardens and the old power station. Both routes lead to the same point so will provide the same access and save the historic promenade.
Plus if the fuel depot catches fire and explodes the will be nothing left to need access to….remember the BP disaster in Hemel Hempstead.
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Again, spoiling the coast, ok you need a road, but cut down on all the cars in Jersey! Read somewhere a family of four kids being 17+ living at home, have cars jersey is the most populated Island/mainland in Europe with a family owning up to 4 cars! All of this should be taken into account before planning such developments that endanger people, why not have a Sub fire dept set there, for people living out that way, if traffic is so bad they have to get from town centre !!!
There is a good bus service, you don’t really need a car! What about running the train along there too. Sell spaces off to beach cafes, tourist shop spaces, with built little lapa tops and small wooden tables. make it attractive, as stall spaces. Not more roads for quick cuts to people getting to and from work !(mind you with jersey’s bad record of vandals and unmanageable kids/teen may be not, that would be used as drug den or set on fire!!!Just as well open the beaches up to drive along while you are at it, or operating a ferry service from town to St Aubins to by pass the traffic to get the workers in !!! Oh me, I should be in the States/Planning dept with my brainwaves!!! They just keep coming ……
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jwgigolo 38.
Good points, however, if the facility is protected by state-of-the-art gas/fire detection and suppression systems, explosions shouldn’t happen. Apparently, the safety equipment at the Hemel Hemstead plant wasn’t up to scratch and thus failed to operate.
Therefore, people living in the area (especially the hoteliers) should be asking questions about what’s being done to minimise the risk of fire and explosion – as well as looking for ways to save the promenade.
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#39′What about running the train along there too. Sell spaces off to beach cafes, tourist shop spaces, with built little lapa tops and small wooden tables. make it attractive, as stall spaces… or operating a ferry service from town to St Aubins …
‘Oh me, I should be in the States/Planning dept with my brainwaves!!! They just keep coming ……’
Somewhat unrealistic brainwaves, Jerseygirl. You seem to have forgotten about bad weather and tides for a start. You’d need a long jetty at St Aubin. What bus sevice are you referring to which is so good that you don’t need a car?
If the point of your posts is to let us know that you live in Capetown, fine. The States probably don’t need a brainwaves consultant to add to their problems!
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Mike R 9.Totally disagree with you that this was a budgeted cost.Remember the failure to fix the euro rate and Mr Black lost us millions on the project.I understand the rate has now been hedged and we are looking at an even worse scenario!!.Ah but it is not his money and he can retire in the knowledge that his inflated final salary pension is safe.!
Your right I am getting a chip on my shoulder I wonder why!
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A german railway line used to run along the prom there, I remember seeing a photo of it in the JEP
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#41 Are you doing standup anytime soon?
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The road will also be used by refuse lorries from the East of the island as they cant get around the tight bend on the pier side of Mount Bingham!
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#41 Are you doing standup anytime soon?
Don’t push your luck, Leah!
I have always held your posts in high regard but all that could change if you decide to get too smart!
Best regards, Cecile.
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Have any of you actually seen the plans that you’re commenting on?
It won’t be used by anything other than emergancy vehicles, and there are minimal changes to the actual sea wall required.
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Julia 47.
Changes, however small, are changes. This is a historically-significant walkway we’re talking about, not a new road on housing estate!
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