20 October 2008
The Council of Ministers today considered the feasibility of building a multi-storey car park on the Ann Court site which would replace both Gas Place Car Park, which could then be developed as the Town Park, and Minden Place Multi-Storey Car Park. There was unanimous support for the use of the Ann Court site as a car park, however the Council asked Transport and Technical Services to undertake further work as part of the detailed design to see if there is the potential to include further residential provision in the project which would help offset the cost.
It has been proposed for some time that a new Town Park should be built on the Gas Place Car Park site, but the parking provision would have to be replaced. In 2007, EDAW’s report , ‘A Strategy for the Future Development and Regeneration of St Helier’ put forward the idea of replacing the public parking from Gas Place (and from Minden Place) with a new multi-storey car park on the Ann Court site, where the 1970’s housing had reached the end of its useful life and was due for rebuilding or major refurbishment. The Transport and Technical Services Department developed the feasibility study based on this.
The Council of Ministers was keen not to delay the project and asked for the investigation into the further incorporation of residential provision be undertaken in short order. The current proposal would see completion of the new car park in 2010.