‘Tell us how you want parish to look’
PEOPLE living in St Peter’s are being asked how they want their community to look in the future.
Leaflets are being distributed to 2,000 households inviting them to an interactive exhibition outlining all possible ways the parish could be developed – either in small ways or through more radical options.
‘We don’t know what people are going to say, that’s why we want to take the temperature of opinions and see what comes about,’ said Tony Talmage, chairman of the independent steering committee.
Options being considered are more affordable housing, care facilities for the elderly, parking and other leisure amenities such as hairdressers and cafes.
‘It is a country parish and people in the parish like to keep their green fields – who can blame them for that? I’d be surprised if anyone wanted a multi-storey car park in the parish.’
The parish will be consulting with States planners to check that any proposals are viable.
‘Change is everywhere in modern life. But we believe those who live, work in, or who have other connections with the parish would prefer to be guiding that change, rather than be driven by it.
‘That is why we want to learn local people’s vision of what St Pierre du Bois should look like in, say, the 2030s,’ said Mr Talmage.
One of the aims is to protect the community identity while ensuring that it keeps up with modern times.
Just over 3% of the island’s population lives in the parish. It has the lowest population density of any of Guernsey’s parishes, with 334 people per square kilometre. That is just behind Torteval, which has 335 per square kilometre.
That compares with 2,994 people per square kilometre in St Peter Port and 1,426 people per square kilometre in St Sampson’s.
Exhibition details
THE exhibition will be held at the St Peter’s douzaine room from 6-21 May.
It is open on weekdays from 10am-noon and from 4-6pm. On Saturdays, the hours are 10am-1pm.
There will also be an online exhibition available on the douzaine’s website, stpierredubois.org/, and on its Facebook page, where people will be able to share comments and opinions.
Comments can also be sent by email to future@stpierredubois.org or letters can be sent to La Salle Paroissiale, Les
Buttes, St Peter’s, GY7 9SD.
