Battle rages over planned funfair move

Battle rages over planned funfair move

They are planning to turn out in force to a St Helier Parish Assembly which has been organised to discuss the proposal tonight.The Battle of Flowers Association want to move back to the site after a 15-year absence, citing safety concerns at the Lower Park.

The People’s Park would also enable the funfair organisers to bring bigger rides over for the annual event.But residents say that their summers will be ruined if the plan goes ahead.Peter and Di Robins live opposite the playground at the top of the People’s Park and say they already have to put up with rowdy teenagers spoiling their quality of life every weekend.

‘People will say we shouldn’t complain and that it’s only a once-a-year event.

Well for us, it’s every day already,’ said Mr Robins.Henry Robinson, who has lived in the area for 42 years, said he complained every year that the fair was staged at the People’s Park because of the noise, not just from the rides and stalls but also from the generators which power them and the operators’ caravans.’The problem doesn’t end at 10 pm, it goes on until the early hours because they’ve got their lights on, they’re fixing things and their generators carry on all night,’ he said.Susan Green’s major concern is the behaviour of people attending the fair.

She has found people urinating and even having sex on her land during major public events.

‘It was bad 15 years ago, but society has deteriorated since then and there’s a lot more trouble,’ she said.Fearing that the residents are faced with a fait accompli, Mrs Green has called on the parish, the police and the Battle Association to take all steps possible to reduce the nuisance from the fair, including siting caravans, mobile homes and generators as far away from the residents as possible.’I think we are going to get lumbered, and if the inevitable does happen I want them to be much more considerate,’ she said.Mary Ayling, who has an 83-year-old mother and three-year-old daughter, is concerned about the environmental impact.

‘The fumes pollute the air and make it very difficult to breathe, especially for older people,’ she said.

‘The Constable always used to speak about the environment, but this is bad for the environment.

The effect on the atmosphere and people’s ability to breathe is terrible.”Ambivalent’The Constable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft, said that the parish roads committee would make the final decision after listening to the residents’ concerns.

He said he was ‘ambivalent’ about the proposals but added: ‘The park was given to the parish for this kind of thing, and if you live near it you have to expect it to be used.’

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