New Leale’s Yard vision has ‘public realm’ as buzzwords

For decades the area has been identified for potential renaissance and the latest rough masterplan aims to harness the enduring attraction and fascination of the working harbour.

A draft development framework is published today before a final round of consultation, with the document expected to be finished in April.

The preferred option at this stage is for the Leale’s Yard development to be residential led, with a civic square, green public spaces, tree lined streets, a community and wellness hub, new shops, restaurants and cafes.

Two of the new buildings could be four storeys high and some of the homes would sit above retail.

Most of the parking spaces on the Bridge itself would be removed and instead there would be a public car park behind the row of shops.

A multi-storey car park, a hotel and a university were all considered, but did not make it into the preferred option, although it is stressed that nothing is definitive yet.

The homes would be 124 apartments, 24 maisonettes, 32 town houses and 10 mews houses.

One of the buzzwords in the new plans is ‘public realm’ and the idea is to turn the front of the Bridge into a place where people can sit and enjoy the views.

By putting parking behind the shops it should transform the traffic flow because currently there are hold ups going northbound because of cars manoeuvring and waiting for spaces.

The road would be reduced to one lane northbound and one lane southbound, and a segregated cycle lane.

The extra space would mean that a seafront promenade with decent seating along the harbour edge could be built.

In front of the shops the pedestrian zone would be much more generous and ‘complemented with an area for terraces or spill out spaces that will activate the streetscape, with planting and seating to provide a pleasant setting and create a buffer between public realm and the busy carriageway’.

Three options are put forward to bolster flood defences, and the most radical option includes a built-out seating area to ‘celebrate the presence of the harbour’.

The document expresses a strong preference for the Bridge roundabout to be replaced by traffic lights.

In 2016 the Channel Islands Co-operative Society, which is the principal landowner, was given full planning permission to build 109 new homes and 1,049sqm of retail and commercial space.

A subdued economy, the increase in online shopping and escalating construction costs meant those plans never went ahead, and the planning permission expired last year.

The Co-op has since indicated to the planners that it wants to divide the site into 22 parcels and its ambitions included a mix of uses, including retail, tech workspaces, residential and a multi-storey car park.

Community consultation so far has revealed that islanders want new life breathed back into the Bridge with a focus on the waterfront.

. The draft framework is available to view on the States website, as well as being on display at the former Smilers shop on Southside. There will be a drop-in on Saturday 29 February at the Salvation Army Community Centre & Cafe in Nocq Road.