Guerilla gardeners brighten up car-free Broad Street

Monday 05 October 2020

Guerrilla tactics have been deployed to brighten up Broad Street.

Three small wooden planters, full of yellow, red and orange flowers, appeared in the street last week - and neither the parish nor the Infrastructure Department say they put them there.

Offering a clue to their provenance, a notice in each planter says: “Welcome to the Broad Street Community Garden. This planter was put here to make Broad Street a more pleasant place for the people who walk and cycle along it.

“Feel free to add plants and flowers to grow this garden. Enjoy, be safer at a distance, and have a good day!”

Pictured: A sign in each planter encourages others to add their own plants and flowers to the street.

So, who are the enigmatic horticulturists? St. Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft believes it has all the hallmarks of ‘guerrilla gardeners’.

“I think the planters have been left by one of the guerrilla gardening groups in Jersey, who have left ad hoc displays around St. Helier before,” he said.

“There are a number of groups who are concerned about the planet and leave displays as a subtle reminder that we don’t just face economic challenges. 

“It’s something I welcome because it is a way of raising awareness without disrupting people going about their daily lives, unlike some of the environmental protests that have happened in the UK.”

Mr Crowcroft said that the parish would not be removing the planters, not least because the Parish has no jurisdiction over Broad Street.

Picture: Each planter is connected to a traffic cone by a small chain.

“That, in itself, raises an important point,” said Constable Crowcroft.

“In places like London and Paris, local authorities have used the enforced closure of streets - due to the need for social distancing during the pandemic - to beautify areas and brighten them up, and I think it’s a great shame that the Infrastructure Minister has not done anything here.

“Two States sittings ago, I also told him that the signage at the top end of the road was inadequate as it said nothing about cyclists or who has priority when the street was closed. Again, he has done nothing about it, which, to me, shows his lack of interest in Broad Street. 

“He had an opportunity to make Broad Street safer and more attractive, yet nothing has happened.”

Pictured: One planter is close to the now defunct bus stop.

Broad Street has become a controversial subject since Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis closed it on 23 May from 11:00 each morning to ensure social distancing, particularly outside the Alliance supermarket, the Post Office and along its thin sections of pavement. 

However, since the end of lockdown and the implementation of Jersey’s ‘Safe Exit Strategy’, a number of retailers and the Chamber of Commerce have argued that the measures are no longer needed as people are not congregating in large numbers outside. They add that the lack of traffic is having a detrimental effect on businesses.

The Chamber has also called to see the medical evidence on which the Minister based his decision to close the street.

An e-petition calling for the street to be reopened has attracted 1,446 signatures. 

In a response, required once the petition had reached 1,000 supporters, Deputy Lewis reiterated that the decision continues to be based on medical advice and sought to quash rumours that he is planning to close the road permanently without any consultation.

Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis has asked for islanders' views into the closure of Broad Street.

"Broad Street will remain closed as long as there is health advice to support physical distancing in town," he said. "Ministers have received advice from the Medical Officer for Health and been asked to support infrastructure measures to help pedestrians in the town centre to adhere to current guidance and maintain at least 1m physical distancing, with 2m wherever possible," he said.

"We have also been advised that over the coming weeks and months, there is a potential for escalating covid-19 challenges for the island. These may require the more stringent application of physical distancing measures if we are to maintain as much as possible of our normal ways of life, including visiting the town centre.

"The measures and arrangements for Broad Street will continue to be kept under review. To better understand the public’s attitudes to the benefits of closing this road for physical distancing during the pandemic, I have asked my department to arrange for some research into islanders' views."