Nearly a hundred years on from failed grand plans to transform the Careening Hard and having recently retired from a career in architectural design, Martin Nickolls has come forward with another – even more transformative – idea to give the harbour’s ship drying spot a new lease of life.
His plans for the ‘Hard’ are just one element of his very own vision for regeneration of the St Peter Port harbour and frontage.
The plans involve a new look for the North Plantation, turning the old States Offices into a boutique hotel and Victor Hugo Centre, underground parking, a plaza and new marina.
‘Having recently retired and with time on my hands I thought it would be an interesting project for me to put some thought into how improvements could be made to these important town areas,’ he said.
‘Critical of the lack of parking arrangements in town and the need for more marina moorings has led me to put pen to paper and produce a scheme which I believe will alleviate and improve these areas and allow for other general improvements to enhance our sea front.
‘In so doing, not only would town parking be improved but also a new marina created catering for craft up to 22 metres.
‘I have always thought the Careening Hard was somewhat of a waste of valuable town space, having been under-used as a Careening Hard for many years and at low tide is not a particularly pleasant sight.
‘To me it would seem to be an obvious place for an underground car park which I reckon could hold upwards of 200 cars. Above this, a stunning plaza could be created which would be such an improvement on what we have now.
‘I think a marina in the corner would be an absolute prize addition.
‘I know there has been talk of one out in the pool, but I can’t see that ever happening. Mine is a quite simple marina creation as only a short wall needs to be built. It will be the same tidal as the Victoria and the QEII.
‘I think it would be a valuable asset for boats 60-70ft long for over-wintering, and it could be a good source of income.’
But who will pay? Mr Nickolls recognises that will be a problem, even if were to be approval for his plans.
‘That’s always the problem. They [the States] can’t even pay to get the weeds out of the pavements.
‘It would have to be privately funded, perhaps with the States’ assistance.’
The vision
North Plantation
I am proposing to convert the Tourist Information building into a small boutique hotel and Victor Hugo centre with a small parking/drop-off area to the south created adjacent to the hotel entrance.
There could also be a smaller tourist info area within the foyer of the hotel. There would be small landscaped areas provided by the car parking to soften this area and the existing landscaping to the front of the building would be retained.
The whole would be paved with suitable brick paving and this paving would continue along the wide pavement in front of the building but in a contrasting colour.
To the rear of the hotel a service entrance would be created where there is a recess which would allow delivery of foods etc.
Parking for guests would not really be an issue as the pier car parks are close by and indeed many of the guests, I would estimate, would be business people who would not want cars anyway.
To the rear of the hotel the small one way road known as North Plantation would become a pedestrian-only area used only by delivery vehicles at set times – as in the Town centre at present.
This would be paved and would be used by existing cafes and restaurants in the area and indeed any new ones that may open, to offer al fresco dining and a pleasant walkway away from the Esplanade traffic.
The present garden area to the north is in a somewhat run-down condition and although does have certain good areas it generally needs to be rejuvenated.
My proposal is to provide new planted areas with maybe a few seaside resistant palms, grassed areas and general mainly evergreen plants and shrubs. The gardens would be intersected by paved pathways leading from the North Plantation through to the Esplanade.
The existing old period pump would be retained and enhanced.
To provide interest I am proposing a feature fountain be installed which would be lit up at night with changing light colours. This could even be linked to music as seen in some parts of Europe (Tenerife being an example).
To also provide interest and some shelter I am proposing a small open-sided pavilion be constructed which would provide somewhere for maybe workers to sit during their break periods.
Careening Hard
This spot has been on my mind for many years as an ideal area to be developed.
Although it was once, many years ago, probably the only convenient place for boats to be dried out for maintenance, since the advent of marinas with their drying pads and the two hoists at Boatworks and M&G have made drying boats out there obsolete, and it is very rare to see boats there being worked on.
Today, the main residents (95%) of the Hard seem to be craft that have not been used in many years and are basically rotting away. This has been the situation here for years and to be honest is a real eyesore, especially at low tide.
This is not a pleasant area to walk around and with the piers being used for car parking offers no pleasant areas at all.
Underground parking
The general layout and depth of the careening hard is ideal for the creation of an underground car park and I have proposed space for up to 180/190 vehicles.
With the increasing problems with town car parking and the seeming reluctance for the authorities to proceed with a multi -storey car park, then an underground park so close to the town centre would be of much importance.
Not only would it provide parking for shoppers and workers, it will remove the car parking on the piers thereby releasing these areas for pedestrian pleasure, with markets and other events etc being able to take place there.
I would anticipate that the parking would be paid which I am sure would be perfectly acceptable to the public for being able to park so close to the town centre. This would also bring in a welcome return on the investment.
Minimal excavation would be required only to the south end to be able to achieve the required heights for the car park – approximately 2.3 metres.
Retaining walls would be constructed basically to the bottom of the existing careening hard’s sloping side walls with suitable backfill behind.
Entrance/egress to the car park would be from the pier adjacent to the existing amenity block.
Pedestrian access would be from two staircases.
The structure would not be complicated with the side walls and top slab being reinforced concrete supported by steel/concrete columns at around 5m centres. Access and egress would be to the side of the existing toilet block on the pier.
The Plaza
Above the converted Hard, I have proposed, at this time, an open-air recreation area which, although shown only as a free circulation plaza, there could be possibly restaurants or some shops within that space, however at this time I have shown it only as a pedestrian precinct.
There would be no vehicular access although it would be possible for emergency services to access it.
A new lay-by would be created off the Esplanade which would cater for buses and lorry unloading.
The pavement would be re-positioned to suit and a new matching granite wall would be built to form a screen.
I would rather like to see this pavement for its length from the Weighbridge to the pier to be finished in a suitable marble rather in the vein of promenades seen abroad.
The plaza itself would be accessed from various points from the Esplanade and would be laid in various brick paving combinations with pathways weaving through the area all leading to the central focus point which would be a fountain.
This could be a coloured light fountain with pulse settings all to provide an interesting spectacle.
At various spots I have designed palm tree enclosures. These would be placed in various areas and would be planted in raised planters.
The Canary Date palms I am proposing will be able to survive in roughly 1.5m of soil and would be suitable in our marine environment.
There would be two areas of complete mixed landscaping in raised beds which would be grassed over and accessible to the public.
Additionally, it would be a nice feature to have a traditional-styled grandstand sited in the plaza.
This would be ideal for summer time outdoor concerts and could provide a venue for local artistes to show their talent – note here Venice Piazza and the Cafe Florian. Perfect also for the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ in late summer.
New Marina
To complement this area and to provide a much-needed new marina, I have always thought that the area to the north of the Careening Hard and west of the Cambridge Berth would be the perfect site for a marina, ideally positioned on the edge of town and quite easily formed with a new wall stretching from the Cambridge Berth to the Round Top wall. Access would be virtually the same as the QEII and the depth at low tide would be roughly the same, at approximately 2.3 metres with the gate closed.
I envisage moorings for up to 115 boats, ranging in size from six to 22 metres.
Not only will this provide much need extra moorings, especially in the 10 to 15-metre range, but also offer up the possibility of over-wintering yachts of up to 22 metres, as well as visiting yachtsmen.
As part of this development a new marina office would be constructed to the north end of the new plaza which would contain facilities for visiting yachtsmen as well as a new harbour office.
Dedicated parking would be provided adjacent to the new building. Maybe even a new yacht club could be added.
To provide a drying facility a special area would be made to allow for boat owners to do work on their boats at low water. This area would not be too large as predominantly boat owners will have their craft taken out at one of the specialised marine yards.
Round Top
Presently this is a bit of a sad sight.
Lacking any real maintenance over the years and now that the pier is dedicated to just car parking this has got to be an ideal place to be used in conjunction with the plaza and its facilities.
I envisage the actual round top area to have a small decorative (although could be a working one for use with the new marina) lighthouse built in the Lexington style.
The area around would be paved with granite cobbles leading to the existing granite steps which in turn will lead to the existing raised walkway running back to the pier.
To give this a continental feel I would envisage that instead of the existing tarmac a suitable decorative marble paving would be ideal.
At various points steps would lead down to the plaza. The existing stores under the round top could be converted into a small kiosk with al fresco seating.
This lower area would be paved to link with the paving from the plaza. All along there would be ample seating and possibly potted plants.
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