Development frameworks for four sites including Leale's Yard

The Policy & Resources committee has agreed to make funding available to create development frameworks for the areas - the Lower Pollet in St Peter Port, South Esplanade and Mignot Plateau in St Peter Port, Mansell Street/Le Bordage in St Peter Port and Leale’s Yard in St Sampson's and Vale.

Leale's Yard is set to be the priority, with Development & Planning Authority president Dawn Tindall stating that she hoped a framework would be produced for the site by the end of this year.

It is anticipated that each development framework will cost between £50,000 and £100,000, depending on complexity, totalling between £200,000 and £400,000.

Policy & Resources president Gavin St Pier said he was delighted the projects were moving forward.

'The Policy & Resources committee is committed to ensuring these areas are developed beneficially and that the public have the opportunity to review and comment on the proposals before they are formally submitted as a planning application,' he said.

'In addition, each area will benefit from mixed-use development and the collaborative working which the development frameworks will enable. We are delighted that the Development & Planning Authority is ready, willing and able to crack on with this important step and we were pleased to help facilitate this by supporting their request for additional funding.'

The aim of the frameworks is to encourage redevelopment and provide opportunities for investment.

The frameworks will set out the issues and opportunities for each area and ensure that schemes are well planned from the outset in accordance with the policies of the Island Development Plan.

The D&PA is expected to underspend its 2019 budget by about £100,000, as a result of forecast income being ahead of budget, which will be utilised to part-fund the development frameworks. The Policy & Resources committee has agreed to make funding available from the Budget Reserve in 2019 and 2020 to fund the amount that cannot be met within the forecast underspend and potential fee income.

The four regeneration areas will require more expertise and resources than previous development frameworks, which have been for smaller sites and often focus on housing.

That means these frameworks will need off-island experts to be involved.

Development & Planning Authority president Dawn Tindall hoped that all four frameworks would be produced as soon as possible, with Leale's Yard framework ready by the end of 2019.

'The four regeneration areas will significantly benefit from a co-ordinated and focused approach to development which will enable the early realisation of opportunities in the four areas and may also result in further investment elsewhere on the island,' she said.

'Each area has its own issues and opportunities and we look forward to working with the private sector and others to implement the vision for the future of Town and the Bridge.'

Leale's Yard, behind the Bridge, is owned by the Channel Islands Co-operative Society and has stood abandoned for about a decade. A planning application has been approved for mixed residential/commercial developments, but no work has started.