Ann Court site: Petition (P.202/2009): Ministerial comment

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A decision made on 18 January 2010 to approve the ministerial comment on Ann Court site: Petition (P.202/2009)

Decision Reference: MD-PE-2010-0004
Decision Summary Title:	P.202/2009 – Ann Court – Minister’s Comment		Date of Decision Summary:	15 January 2010
Decision Summary Author:	Director of Planning		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title:	P.202/2009 – Ann Court – Minister’s Comment		Date of Written Report:	5 January 2010
Written Report Author:	Director of Planning		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: P.202/2009 Ann Court – Comments of the Minister of Planning and Environment
Decision(s): The Minister approved the comment as drafted
Reason(s) for Decision: That the States should be aware of his comments on the petition and proposition and its relationship to the draft North of Town Masterplan
Resource Implications: None
Action required: Comment to be forwarded to States Greffe to present to the States
Signature:		Position Minister
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Ann Court site: Petition (P.202/2009): Ministerial comment

P/202/2009 – Ann Court Site - Petition

Comments of the Minister for Planning and Environment:

The Minister for Planning and Environment supports the proposition.

The draft North of Town Masterplan has demonstrated that there are better ways to replace the car parking that will be displaced from Gas Place and Minden Place than to build a large, above-ground multi-story car park at Ann Court, which will blight the environment for those who live nearby.

Residential development and public open space is proposed for both the Town Park site and Ann Court, and the Green St car park would be redeveloped for residential development and car parking.

The overall proposals in the draft Masterplan are likely to be self-funding, although any significant diminution in development yields, notwithstanding the £10m voted to the Town Park project last September, will significantly affect that position.

The need for the replacement car parking is essential (albeit that a reduction in the total number of public spaces is proposed in the light of the Sustainable Transport Policy), as many local residents, shoppers and commuters use Gas Place and Minden Place Car parks throughout the day. These car parks have more overnight residential usage than any of the other major public car parks in town.

The draft Masterplan proposes that there should be:

predominantly residential (145 spaces) and public (75) parking as part of the Town Park development;
predominantly shoppers (240) and residential (90) parking at Ann Court; and
public (825) and residential (70) parking through the redevelopment of Green St Car Park.

Effectively, the majority of the commuter car parking will be provided at Green St. In the event that the proposal to construct housing on part of the proposed Town Park site is unacceptable to the States, it is still possible to provide a reduced level of car parking beneath a ‘half-in/half-out’ deck, although this could not be funded through development receipts.

Consultation on the draft Masterplan finished on 5 January and the comments are being reviewed by the Minister. It is intended to lodge a proposition on the reviewed, and possibly amended, Masterplan for debate in the Spring.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS:

Part a) of the proposition will have capital cost implications if the reviewed draft Masterplan is not adopted by the States. Assuming no car parking can be achieved at Gas Place as part of the Town Park development, not all of the displaced car parking can be replaced at Ann Court and Green St. and it may be necessary to acquire an additional site to meet the requirements.

The costs of Part b) of the proposition will be absorbed in the Department’s budget.

Minister for Planning and Environment