02 February 2006
MEDIA RELEASE
03 February 2006
Improvements for Conway Street:
Reconnecting the waterfront and the town
Proposals to breathe new life into Conway Street and to improve the connection between the town and the waterfront have been published today. This is the first initiative to be developed by the new Urban Task Group which is seeking to ensure that development of the St Helier Waterfront is integrated with rest of the town and that new investment is made throughout the Island ’s capital.
Conway Street provides an important link between the town centre and the St Helier Waterfront and harbour. The street’s narrow pavements are already struggling to cope with the volume of people using them: a situation that can only be exacerbated when the development of the Island’s new Transportation Centre and the Liberty Wharf development is completed at the site of the old abattoir.
The key elements of the scheme include the widening of pavements along entire length of Conway Street on both sides, three new ‘table-top’ junctions to calm traffic and to provide new crossing points, and new feature lighting columns – slender cylindrical light stacks – to mark this gateway and route into town.
‘This is an exciting initiative which will transform people’s experience of using Conway Street’ said Urban Task Group chair, Connetable Simon Crowcroft. ‘Widening pavements can make a tremendous difference by making streets feel much safer and easier to use for pedestrians, as we have seen elsewhere in town. We are aware, from talking to traders, that doing business in Conway Street can be difficult because of the narrowness of the pavements at the moment. This is the first of a number of schemes to be delivered by the Task Group and I am delighted that we are able to start with something which will be of such tremendous value by strengthening the connection between the town centre and the waterfront’ he added.
The creation of wider pavements will displace disabled parking in Conway Street but replacement spaces will be provided in Dumaresq Street and Hope Street to ensure that there is no reduction in disabled town centre spaces. A number of regular 20 minute spaces alongside the Pomme D’Or will, however, be lost. Cycle parking is displaced to Wharf Street but unloading facilities are to be provided at the northern end of the street near the junction with Bond Street.
The only change to traffic-flow will be a new priority at the junction of the Esplanade: a large volume of traffic enters Conway Street from the west (Esplanade) so vehicles from this direction will be given priority. Traffic flow throughout the remainder of Conway Street will remain unaltered.
The £200,000 scheme will be funded and carried out under the auspices of Planning and Environment’s St Helier Street Life Programme. ‘This programme of work has transformed much of the town centre’ said Planning and Environment Minister and Task Group member Senator Freddie Cohen. ‘Improving Conway Street will complete a tranche of work that has stretched from Union Street to Broad Street, and now into Conway Street. Not only has this work reduced the number of injury accidents, which is of benefit to the taxpayer, but it has also enhanced the extent and quality of public urban spaces, which is hugely beneficial to the economic life and character of the town and of value to the local and visitor alike. I hope that people can continue to support us in this work: we have already had some positive reaction from major stakeholders in Conway Street’ he added.
The proposals for Conway Street are being released today for consultation. If the response to these proposals is favourable, work will start at the beginning of March and be complete by mid-May.
ENDS
Note to editors
The new Urban Task Group, comprising the Chief Minister and Ministers for Planning and Environment, Transport and Technical Services, Economic Development and the Connetable of St Helier, together with representation from the Chamber of Commerce, is in the process of developing the St Helier Development and Regeneration Strategy. The strategy will be developed during 2006 and will seek to establish policy directions and delivery mechanisms for projects such as the Town Park and key development opportunities around the town. It will also serve to set the strategic direction for public sector intervention in the town arising from the potential generation of receipts on the Waterfront.
In the meantime, a series of smaller scale initiatives, to enhance the town centre, are being developed and implemented by the Urban Task Group and their constituent members, working in partnership.
Contacts
Connetable Simon Crowcroft +44 (0) 1534 811811 and 07797 717933
Parish of St Helier and Chair of the UTG
Senator Freddie Cohen +44 (0) 1534 601469 and 07797 714550
Minister for Planning and Environment and Member of UTG
gov.je