Improving St Helier
Since 2001 I have worked with the Parish’s committed team of employees and the groups of dedicated volunteers that make up the municipality, to ensure that the Island’s capital is administered with efficiency, thrift, positivity and compassion, and that it provides a clean, safe and attractive environment for residents, visitors and workers.
I intend to continue to fight for a fairer deal for St Helier in the States Assembly as although we have at last succeeded in getting the States to pay rates on their properties, our electors are still under-represented and St Helier ratepayers still pay well over £1m a year for services which are funded by the States in other parishes, such as public toilets, parks and gardens, playgrounds and litter collection. I will continue to pursue the promised regeneration funding from the waterfront development, in order to deliver the environmental improvements outlined in the North of Town Masterplan and the funding of vital road improvement schemes.
With growing pressure on our Parish to provide the majority of the Island’s new homes I will continue to press for the protection and expansion of our parks and amenity spaces. While I welcome the offer by Andium Homes to increase the size of the Millennium Town Park by 50%, I regret that we could not prevent the loss of the green space in Green Street, nor was the proposal for a feasibility study into a country park at Warwick Farm supported by the Council of Ministers. I will continue to work to provide St Helier residents with better access to the countryside on our doorstep, and will oppose building on our precious green fields. Given the prolonged delay by the States in introducing schemes to make walking and cycling safer and more convenient I will ask the States to give the Parish the responsibility as well as the funding to move these projects forward.
I have successfully amended past Island Plans/Strategic Plans to provide for better parking facilities for parishioners, yet the St Helier Roads Committee’s advice to Planning on the need for sufficient parking is frequently disregarded. The States want to lower the minimum parking standard for new housing developments, but I believe measures to reduce the impact of traffic on the Island’s quality of life and the environment should not discriminate against St Helier residents, who should have the same rights of vehicle ownership as people who live in other parishes. Additional off-street parking is also needed for shoppers to support the town’s retail and hospitality businesses, and more parking for motorcycles.
I am involved in the delivery of several major Parish projects that are underway, including the refurbishment of St Ewold’s, the Parish’s WW1 memorial, and the redevelopment of St Helier House. Our kerbside glass collection trial could be extended to a parish-wide scheme and there are several environmental initiatives to pursue, including providing drinking fountains in street refurbishments, a reduction in single use plastics, and the introduction of a St Helier courtesy bus.
