Islanders slam "disgraceful" state of Liberation Square

Thursday 29 June 2017

Islanders have taken to social media to express outrage at the apparently run-down appearance of Liberation Square.

They have criticised the staining on the steps, broken tiles, weeds and litter as well as the state of the central water pool surrounding the Liberation statue.

One islander described the square as “an absolute disgrace” and an “embarrassment to Jersey”. Another blamed the dirty square for ruining her niece's prom shoes.

Pictured: Facebookers comments about the "filthy" square. (Google Maps/Facebook)

Claire Kelly, who originally raised the issue on a popular Jersey Facebook community told Express: "It's pretty disgraceful that somewhere like Jersey allows this to happen. Liberation Square has been slowly deteriorating over a number of years now and nothing seems to change.

"It's a matter of civic pride to maintain clean and welcoming open spaces. What does this square say about Jersey to visitors who will pretty much all pass through here at some point?"

Claire also pointed out the "shabby" appearance of West's Centre, adding that, when in town, "...it's best to stop looking down!"

Pictured: The square in West's Centre, which Claire also said was in need of some TLC. (Claire Kelly)

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) owns the land and is therefore responsible for its maintenance. When asked about the concerns raised, a spokesperson for DfI said that they agree that the area is in need of attention, but that they are making progress. So far, DfI have purchased replacement flags, which are due to be installed 30 June, as well as undertaking regular perimeter gardening and repairing the broken fountain pumps.

When asked about the more serious maintenance concerns, the spokesperson added: "We will be undertaking a site condition/equipment survey of the entire area from a structural, mechanical and electrical perspective as this has also not been undertaken for a number of years.

"Once this inspection has been completed it will provide us (DfI) with a detailed list of the areas of the square that require resolution. An obvious example of this would be the amphitheatre tiled compass area which is in a serious condition and will prompt decisions on the best possible solution for the area after the condition survey report is received and also an indication of what funding will be required."

However, due to the location of the square, cleaning of the area also falls under the jurisdiction of the Parish of St Helier. The Director for Municipal Services, Deborah D’Orleans, told Express that, following these reports, the weeding has already been carried out and that the rubbish bins are regularly emptied twice a day.

In response to people's concerns, Constable of St Helier Simon Crowcroft said that he thinks the frequency of the power washing should be increased from its current monthly clean.

Speaking to Express, Mr Crowcroft said this is an issue which affects the whole of St Helier: “I am very keen to get more washing of pavements and precincts done. My team and I are looking at other solutions at washing the pavements in the precincts, particularly low-tech solutions such as we see in places like Madeira where the streets are cleaned every day.”