‘Urban Task Force has failed to improve town’
Wednesday 26th October 2011, 2:57PM BST.
Town centre manager Richard Mackenzie at Charing Cross
STRATEGIC plans to improve the town centre have failed, according to the organisation that represents local business.
The Jersey Chamber of Commerce wants Islanders to help create a new vision for St Helier, as a States-led planning body has ‘not delivered’ for the parish.
James Filleul, Chamber of Commerce vice president, said that the Urban Task Force – which was established in 2006 to lead planning initiatives – had not met its strategic goals in the Island’s most populous parish.
Urban Task Force chairman Simon Crowcroft, the Constable of St Helier, agreed ‘to some extent’ and said a ‘top-heavy Council of Ministers agenda’ was to blame. Mr Crowcroft pointed to the creation and funding of the town centre manager position, filled by Richard Mackenzie, as one of the most successful initiatives.
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If you look at the way the states don’t buy or use local, what hope have local companies got on the island.
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Knock down the odeon and use the space as a car park.
Get the hop on hop off bus back,as not all of us townies use cars for shopping.
New street could do with an uplift,knock the whole lot down put a Tosca or lidl there and some trees here and there-anything but more flats.
Use your imagination states and you could produce a state of the art town which could be the envy of all.
Just my view as a resident of St.Helier
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The Chairman of the Urban Task Force shouldn’t be so modest. What does it matter if the UTF has failed to achieve its objectives, when it has taken such a visionary step as to create the post of town centre manager? With that done, all problems are bound to disappear instantly – and if for some mysterious reason they don’t, well, that can safely be blamed on the Council of Ministers.
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PARKING. PARKING. PARKING. PARKING. We’ve even run out of motorbike & cycle parking now.
Going into town has become a nightmare – and the next States Member (including Mayor Crowcroft) that says “we’re looking at it” should be pilloried in the Royal Square. YOU 53 let the parking be taken away in the first place. Perhaps the Chamber could sue the States for not providing facilities to allow shops to carry on their lawful trades?
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The wholesale removal of parking has done nothing to help town, especially when there is the alternative to buy on line or at out of town shops.
Inadequate parking in town has actually contributed to the islands traffic problem, as out of town businesses attract customers in their cars (Farm Shops are a major contributor to additional traffic as each customer, buying a few items makes the journey by car)
I am not sure what most of the shops in town actually sell, and to be honest, I don’t really care !
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Mr Crowcroft, in appointing Richard MacKenzie an erstwhile first class large store manager has done little to achieve what he has said he would do. This is evidenced by my company’s empty site known as the Video Centre site at the corner of Hilgrove Street and Halkett Street. As I have said in the past, it is not the planners that are preventing the improvement of the town centre but the heritage people who cannot distinguish between a proper builidng worthy of keeping and another one which is totally worn out and of no use whatsoever. I’m afraid it is the tail wagging the dog in respect of the infuence that these people have over the planners.
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I would be interested to know what these goals were that weren’t met, and on in what ways the CoC thinks the UTF has failed.
The town centre has undergone all sorts of changes in the last few years and seems largely healthy considering the economic climate. Pavements have been widened, extra crossings added, very few empty shops, etc. It’s hard to see what more can be done, especially in this climate and in light of recent comments by islanders to the effect that they’re quite happy with town!
The biggest issues I personally have with town are the usual: The selection and cost of goods, i.e., assuming you can actually find what you want, it’ll be overpriced. These issues are more for the CoC to be looking into, so I suggest they get their own house in order before moaning about what everyone else has been up to!
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If its not achieved its strategic objectives from the business plan then surely the town centre manager must go as he has failed????
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Town parking is a nightmare, if I have to go to town I get there for 0845 and park up and get done as fast as possible.I pity those who work in town and live out of town, especially if coming from the west. Spend 45 mins in a 4 mile traffic jam and then struggle to park when you get there.
The other killer is internet shopping, VAT exempt and free delivery has all but killed town, add to that greedy retailers who still think it’s 1970 and they can charge double or more, town is dead we just haven’t had the funeral yet.
Knock it down and build flats – the man from Dandara he say yes.
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Lazystatesworker # 8 Your pseudonym is surely something of a misnomer.Indolence is a word that is not in the vocabulary of the public sector.
Wasn’t Task Force the successor of Z-Cars? They had a lot of success if I remember correctly.
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Leave the town manager alone. What do you expect fromsomeone who is only paid about £70,000pa?
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Those responsible for town planning have a duty to uphold historic buildings. Unfortunately, dogma and greed is often seen from those who purchase such old properties in the hope of speculating at the expense of us all. Fortunately, planning succeed before the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal thus upholding the expert opinion of historic building inspectors. Town will indeed be improved by the retention of historic building and it should not be allowed to be stripped out and raped by those who care not about the island or its capital parish.
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I am delighted to see that two old listed buildings in Hilgrove street are to be preserved. These shops were, of course, the subject of Court of Appeal proceedings in 2004, with the court ruling that the shops be saved. Sadly, they have since been left to run derelict. Unfortunately, the ruling was too late to save the old Massimo shop, a beautiful building which has recently been destroyed by demolition. This,of course, has nothing to do with the urban task force and rather more to do with the failure of planning to take enforcement proceedings against those who allow historic buidings to run into dereliction.
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As opposed to “Stench Pipe” – he or she is well named I should think. At least I do not hide behind a pseudonym. He or she will understand the situation at the Hilgrove/Halkett Street site when I publish my dissertation on the company’s website. This will expose the whole sad saga of my 12-year battle with the planners to improve this decaying part of St Helier. My crusade has nothing to do with dogma and greed as the proposed project to improve that part of town has no chance now of ever being viable.Had a certain immigrant builder owned the site then it would have been built 10 years ago. Where were these “expert historic building inspectors” when No.12 Halkett Street was de-listed for the State’s benefit?
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Furthermore, “Stench Pipe’s wish to retain supposed historic and worn out buildings will leave the good people of St Helier with a large empty site. Some improvenent!! It will not say much for Mr Crowcroft’s Urban Task Force.
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May I draw “Christopher”‘s attention to the modern coffee shop next door to No.12 Hilgrove Street and the modern office block behind these.The original property on which the coffee shop was built,was built by the same builder at the same time as 12 and 14 Hilgrove Street as was the property on which the modern office block was built. All owned by the States of Jersey as was 12 Halkett Street which was subsequently de-listed for the States benefit. Double standards would you say? As I say you will read about all this and more on the company’s website.
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Stench pipe – Its people like you that ruin this island, holding back the evolution of our town center.
Knock the old cr*p down, build something new. Its makes the places look nicer, it encourages new business to take up the premises and provides work for people.
Im sick of having to listen to “old Jersey beans” whine on about precious buildings that they remember from their childhood. Sorry that was then, this is now. its old, broken, ugly. Get rid.
John Manley, im behind you all the way.
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The problems with the urban slum that is St Helier
1- the housing that has been allowed to turn into bedsits to house the low paid workers who have been allowed to flood into the island.
2 – Too many cars because there are too many people in this island
3 – the evening ‘get as drunk as you can’ culture thanks to all those shops selling drink 24/7.
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I couldn’t disagree more with Christopher more.
It is utterly rediculous to keep these two worn out which no longer fit in with their surroundings.
It is possible to replace them with modern, hermetically and thermally efficient buildings which are of an attractive design.
Those old buildings were of no arcitectural value. The same goes for the buildings which the Co-Op may have to keep when they do their rebuild in Charing Cross and the ugly front of the old church which burnt down in Wesley Street.
Knock them down, but replace them with something worthwhile.
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He conceded that all three buildings still make some contribution to the character of their respective streets and are “pleasant reminders of an earlier age.” He argued that the decision to permit the demolition of 12 Halkett Street merely compounded the Committee’s “error” (in conservation terms) of permitting redevelopment of the two streets in the 1970s – 1990s.
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A desire to preserve old buildings does not leave a large empty site. Large empty sites are created by the demolition of existing buildings and the subsequent leaving of sites wilfully vacant. Those who do the latter should take responsibility for their actions. It would seem that this is where the real problem may lie.
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The urban task force should make all the old buildings get done up and that would improve town. Most of the old buildings are a mess because builders let them be so because they want to knock them down. Like children throwing wobbly toys out of a pram. It’s selfish of them to ruin old buildings in town just to linen the pockets. Most of the time, builders knew what they were getting into when they bought them so they can’t complain if they catch a cold fish.
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The old shops in Hilgrove Street (1860 or thereabouts) fit in very well with the market and the Prince of Wales pub. They look shabby, but only because the owner has taken a decision to leave them derelict and to paint them in a very unattractive grey paint. Only a few years ago, they were blue with gold pinstriping and they were very attractive indeed. I hope that planning will sort this out by ordering the owner to restore them as part of the video centre project.
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Expert historic building planning matters do not fall with the remit of the task force. It seems an abuse of the thread to use it to argue some sour grape that has gone on for years and has been decided twice by the courts.
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