Mont Morin residents fear losing on-street parking

‘We think it’s a crazy idea,’ said Cathy Wilson, who lives on Mont Morin with her husband Lloyd, and has been parking on the street for 60 years.

She said parking was already difficult for residents without a space on their own property, especially during the daytime – a situation exacerbated in recent years by the introduction of restrictions to parking in the northern car park of Delancey Park.

The potential loss of the on-street parking only came to their attention through a leaflet dropped through their letterbox by fellow street resident Martin Eon.

He expressed disappointment at a lack of communication from the States about the potential changes.

‘It’s quite ridiculous,’ he said. ‘It’s going under the radar. Where are we supposed to park? Where do visitors, delivery vehicles and the postman park?’

He said he distributed a mailshot about the loss of parking after finding a single mention of it on a map included in Environment & Infrastructure’s traffic letter that was included with the application.

The map features a note which reads ‘Parking in lower section of Mont Morin to be removed and painted footway installed (loss of 15 parking spaces approximately)’. It features on page two of E&I’s briefing note called ‘Traffic impacts affecting delivery of housing’, which is published on the States’ live planning applications page under the entry for application FULL/2022/0692.

It is listed on the 53rd of 61 PDFs available to view.

Mr Eon was prompted to search through the documents by an earlier leaflet about the Pointues Rocques development from the Delancey Conservation Campaign, which organised opposition to a previous planning application. The Development & Planning Authority has made it clear that previous objections will not be considered in relation to the latest application, meaning new submissions will need to be made by the new deadline of 11 May.

The Wilsons’ daughter Julie Dawson has already made an enquiry on their behalf about their need for a disabled space, should the development be given the go ahead. She said she had been given an indication by E&I president Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez that the request would be looked on favourably.

E&I’s briefing note explains that the changes would play a role in managing traffic in the wider area around Pointues Rocques, while making it safer, so as to ‘improve the transport network and quality of life for people living in the area, now and in the future’.

‘These measures focus on increasing the efficiency of the transport system, expanding the range of viable transport options, and improving convenience and safety.’

Environment & Infrastructure issued a statement last night: ‘The committee has provided comment on traffic impacts and possible measures that it would support, in the event of the Pointues Rocques application securing approval, recognising that this is a matter for the Development & Planning Authority to decide on, and not Environment & Infrastructure. In that event, as stated in the committee’s letter, it would discuss the proposals with residents of the area and the nearby primary school and pre-school.

'The comments and options have been published alongside the application, which in turn has been promoted by the Planning Service in the normal way, and which we note has this week had additional promotion to ensure islanders are aware that new submissions must be made as this is a new application for the site. The application has of course also had significant local media coverage.

'The committee suggested a range of potential measures for the immediate and wider area, one of which is the potential removal of parking spaces in Mont Morin to create improved access for vulnerable road users, particularly to and from the main centre. But all of these are of course subject to the application being approved which is yet to be determined, and again, if it is approved the committee would discuss them with residents of the area.’