Regeneration offers signs of things to come

'To enhance the St Peter Port regeneration areas to diversify and enrich the experience and long-term attractiveness of Town as a place to work, live, spend time, meet people and explore.’

These frameworks offer guidance on the type of development which planners would expect to see and, indeed, would encourage.

And as well as seeking public input in preparing to set planning guidance our planners are also involved in separate talks going on with other States departments, stakeholders, and land and property owners in regeneration areas.

Such exercises are now well-established parts of the process and dreaming up scenarios for areas we have come to regard with some concern – both Mansell Street and, perhaps South Esplanade come to mind – is actually quite fun.

It will be interesting to see if the States can encourage any significant ideas, but, almost more importantly, interest and enthusiasm from those at the heart of this, the owners of the land. And that it is quickly realisable too.

In most cases land ownership is out of the control of the planners, but every islander will see some kind of opportunity in each of the regeneration areas. Some will be ‘nice to have’ – others will be seen as long overdue and essential.

Some fabled 'action' could see opportunities to breathe new life back into Town, re-energising retail, reinvigorating the public realm, and potentially making a big difference in tackling the island’s housing issues.

The drafts talk about ‘maximising the potential for positive change’ across a mix of uses, including business and commercial.

Also of note is the concept of creating a coherent physical identity and branding in these areas. It may seem relatively minor, but it is potentially an important point in directing Town's future.

St Peter Port has been called the ‘Jewel in our Crown’ many times over the years, but would we risk losing some of its natural attraction, its quaintness, in a bid to be more joined up?