£60k land sale planned to fund new crossing in St. John

Tuesday 13 July 2021

A strip of St. John land is being considered for a £60,000 sale this evening, to help fund a new crossing at the Parish Hall.

The Parish Assembly will tonight be asked to decide whether to sell a 39x11ft parcel of land bordering Pre Saline, Ville des Chenes, to help pave way for an access route for a proposed new family home.

“There is a strip of land which isn’t very big at all. As it gives access to a potential family home, so we’ve had it independently valued and we’re recommending the sale of this land,” Constable Andy Jehan told Express.

He continued: “We’ve got a committee that looks at the Island Plan, and so there’s a strong support for additional homes whilst protecting the green zone where possible, so this is an opportunity for someone to build a house on what can only be described as a waste piece of land.”

Pictured: Constable Andy Jehan said that if the sale were to go ahead, it could help fund the parish's road safety initiatives.

He said that while earlier attempts in the past to put houses in the area - both a collection of fifteen houses and then later six houses - would have “increased traffic dramatically,” he said this new single home would honour the island plan whilst not causing disruption.

He added that the potential funds from the sale would also be put back into the parish community, as part of their ‘Road Safety Initiatives.’ 

“What I’m proposing to do if the sale goes ahead is to ringfence the money to use for road safety initiatives, and in particular the crossing outside the Parish Hall," he explained. 

“There is a need to slow the traffic down and to make it safer for people throughout the day and at weekends to cross the road.” 

As well as improving safety, the lack of a proper crossing was also one of the provisos that saw plans for a memorial garden, wooded area and more car parking turned down, meaning plans for the recreational space could become feasible again. 

He said that the money would offer “other opportunities within the parish” too for road safety improvements.

Tonight's Assembly will also consider the minutes of July 2020 meeting during which it was revealed that former Constable Chris Taylor had used parish funds to pay his legal bill in his dangerous driving case. He was found "not fit for office" by the Royal court and ordered to give up the leading parish role as a result.

The Assembly will be held in the Parish Hall tonight at 19:30.