A number of plans have been revealed as part of a new framework set out for south-west St Helier.
The document, which has now gone out to consultation, includes a number of plans with one of the biggest being an idea to link the Waterfront with the town.
The consultation document states the route currently forms a major barrier to pedestrian and cycle flow, and by turning it into a street it would help improve connectivity and encourage the use of sustainable transport.
Improving crossing points in the area is also part of the plan to reconnect the town with the Waterfront.
Elsewhere in the framework an outline is given for possible additional office buildings near the Jersey International Finance Centre, with the potential for residential and leisure facilities.
Other proposals include creating 520 parking spaces at the Esplanade, improving access to Fort Regent and the Harbour, and merging Liberation Square, the Weighbridge and the Steam Clock
site.
The public are invited to have their say on the framework, and responses will be considered by Environment Minister John Young.
The minister said: ‘This framework has been developed alongside key stakeholders, including residents and business owners, to ensure that the community aspirations for the development of south-west St Helier are embedded into new planning guidance.
‘If adopted, this new guidance will provide a framework against which decisions can be made to deliver an attractive place to live and work and to reconnect the town of St Helier with its Waterfront.
‘It also seeks to maintain critical traffic movement through and around the area, whilst promoting better connections for pedestrians and cyclists.’
The document explained that Liberation Square, the Weighbridge and the Steam Clock site could be ‘unified into a single useable space that could accommodate social and cultural events throughout the year’.
‘This could be achieved by improving the crossing point on Rue de la Libération, creating an attractive single-phase crossing allowing pedestrians and cyclists a greater priority over the traffic and by making the Esplanade spur a pedestrian priority with only limited vehicular access.’
The consultation runs until 28 September, with a public event early next month. The document can be viewed at gov.je/Government/Consultations/Pages/SouthwestStHelier.aspx.
