The £4.5m. deal to buy the land, largely mothballed for the past 25 years, from the Channel Islands Coop should go through court in the middle of next month, and the States has said it plans to start clearing the site by summer 2026.
Leale’s Yard straddles the border of both parishes behind the Bridge.
Douzenier Karl Guille, chairman of the the St Sampson's planning and development committee, said the site had fallen into disrepair after decades of inaction.
‘This has had a negative impact on the wider area of the Bridge which has been left to stagnate in anticipation of what might have been,’ he said.
‘While there is now new hope for the future of this busy retail and commercial area and opportunities exist to improve connectivity and amenity space in the wider area, the task facing the States should not be underestimated.’
Vale senior constable Richard Leale said the news was very positive overall.
‘We’ve been waiting for something like this over the last 30 years or so and it’s really encouraging that government has finally seized the initiative to get this much-needed regeneration of the whole Bridge area finally under way,’ he said.
‘As a douzaine, we weren’t aware of the work behind the scenes that led to this announcement, but we’re delighted that the new States at last has control over the future of this important site and, by extension, the future face of Guernsey’s second town.’
Mr Leale said that questions inevitably remained over the shape of the development and the timescales involved but he expected that the news would be generally positively received, not least with housing expected on the site.
Mr Guille said that the task facing planners over the site should not be underestimated and he expressed concerns about traffic arrangements in the area.
He previously worked for the States as a traffic and transport services manager, and described the existing Bridge parking and traffic management scheme as a mess.
‘Neighbouring roads such as Nocq Road and Lowlands Road are already heavily trafficked and are not an inviting place for pedestrians or cyclists,’ he said.
He added that 64% of new housing development over the next six years, which equated to 1,000 dwellings, was planned in and around the Braye du Valle.
‘The douzaine is concerned at the negative impact this could have on existing residents and the wider impacts on road safety, traffic congestion, utility infrastructure capabilities and flood risk,’ he said.
‘With this in mind, we are actively scrutinising all planning applications and challenging existing housing policy through the latest proposed amendments to the Island Development Plan, with a view to redistributing the volume of proposed new housing more fairly across the island.’
Mr Leale said that the previous plans for Leale’s Yard, put together by the Coop and development partners, had attracted a lot of community support.
‘I think it is essential that the States looks to retain the key elements of what made those Leale’s Yard plans such an attractive development.’
The States has already stated that its immediate focus will be on infrastructure improvement in the area – including new roads to further develop infrastructure upgrades already submitted for the Saltpans site.
Mr Leale said that transport, traffic management and infrastructure issues were of critical importance for the north of the island and these needed to be worked through in detail with the two parish douzaines.
‘So the States’ purchase of Leale’s Yard does pose a number of questions, but it is undoubtedly very positive news and we look forward to playing our part in finally making it happen,’ he said.
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