Co-op praised for ‘biting the bullet’ on Leale’s Yard

Parish officials from the Vale and St Sampson’s sent eight representatives to a presentation by the CI Co-operative Society on Wednesday evening and they reacted positively.

The project, being undertaken in conjunction with builder JW Rihoy and Son, seeks to create a new supermarket, a multi-storey car park, an acre of publicly-accessible green space and more than 320 new homes on the currently disused former industrial plot of 13 acres, which straddles both parishes.

‘Credit to the Co-op for being prepared to put in the money to make it move forward,’ said Vale senior constable Richard Leale.

‘The site has been derelict for years and it’s a pity, because it could be finished by now if the States had helped.’

He said the project could ‘bring the life back to the Bridge’, and he was encouraged that the GP11 planning policy was likely to be followed, so that a proportion of the new housing would be made available to the Guernsey Housing Association for social housing.

He was also pleased to see a reduced density of housing in the new plans compared with previous ones submitted by the Co-op, and more and bigger open spaces.

‘The last thing I’d like to see is a ghetto,’ he said.

St Sampson’s senior constable Paul Le Pelley described the current site as a ‘blot on the landscape’ and said the douzaine was fully supportive of the proposals, which have now been lodged with the Development & Planning Authority, along with a traffic impact assessment.

‘We’ve been banging on about it for years,’ he said, ‘and now, for once, it seems like something is finally happening.’

Junior constable Leonie Le Tissier was particularly pleased about the likely effects on the quality of life in the north of the island.

‘It’ll be a catalyst for the regeneration of the Bridge as a whole,’ she said. ‘It has to be good news for the 9,000 people who live in St Sampson’s and the 10,000 who live in the Vale. It’s only fair that more money should be put into that area for more facilities, amenities and alfresco dining.’

The Co-op has said the development will see £50m. invested during the construction phase and a further £150m. into maintenance over the ensuing 20 years.

One concern that was expressed by both douzaines was over the implications for traffic, especially with a similarly large block of new housing having been approved for the nearby Kenilworth Vinery site.

‘There’s a tremendous amount of traffic in the area already,’ Mr Leale said.

‘The roads around the Bridge are already at capacity at peak times. I use Nocq Road every day and it’s already terrible,’ said the dean of St Sampson’s douzaine, Tom Oliver.

He said it would be up to the States to implement controls and mitigations to ensure traffic did not worsen. ‘This is a chance to start afresh with a reimagining of the whole area,’ he said.

Mr Le Pelley referred to the recent States decision to ensure the removal of traffic from St Peter Port’s seafront will be looked into, and said he would like to see something similar at the Bridge, with through traffic using a bridge or other diversion.